■y  j. 


BY 

ESTHER  BOISE  VAN  DEMAN 


1 


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in  2017  with  funding  from 
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FRONTISPIECE. 


The  Atrium  Vest/e  seen  from  the  East. 


'-'"•'I  i  s  a  Jfstltrr  3H  ffliasjg  WmstJB 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTAE 


BY 

ESTHER  BOISE  VAN  DEMAN 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

Published  by  the  Carnegie  Institution  of  Washington 


1909 


CARNEGIE  INSTITUTION  OF  WASHINGTON 
Publication  No.  108 


PRESS  OF 

the  Isaac  H.  Blanchard  Co. 

NEW  VORK 


THE  GETTY  C£M£ft 

uw 


PREFACE 


I  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  gratitude  to  all  those,  both 
in  America  and  in  Rome,  who  have  so  kindly  assisted  me  in  the 
prosecution  of  this  investigation. 

I  desire  especially  to  thank  the  officers  of  the  American  School 
of  Classical  Studies  in  Rome  for  the  many  courtesies  shown  me  as 
a  research  fellow  of  the  School,  and  the  Carnegie  Institution  of 
Washington  for  the  generous  aid  by  which  the  publication  of  this 
work  has  been  made  possible. 

Esther  Boise  Van  Deman. 


Rome,  June,  1909. 


hi 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Introduction  . .  vii 

I.  Historical  Introduction  . . .  I-  8 

Excavation  of  the  Atrium  . . .  i 

Previous  Plans  and  Opinions  .  . . . .  I 

Purpose  of  the  Present  Work . 2 

Periods  in  the  Development  of  the  Atrium . . . . .  4 

The  Imperial  Atrium  of  the  First  Period  . . .  4 

The  Atrium  of  the  Second  Period  . 6 

The  Atrium  of  the  Third  Period  . . 6 

The  Atrium  of  the  Fourth  Period  . . y 

The  Atrium  of  the  Fifth  Period  ........................  8 

II.  The  Republican  Atrium  Vestas . .  9-14 

The  Original  Atrium  Vestas . . . .  9 

The  Republican  Atrium  Vestas .  11 

Remains  of  the  Republican  Atrium  . .  J2 

The  Damns  vestal  turn . . .  12 

The  Damns  public*  . . . . .  13 

Construction  and  Materials  . . 14 

III.  The  Imperial  Atrium  of  the  First  Period . .  15-20 

General  Description  . . 15 

Plan  and  Arrangement  of  the  Interior  .  . . . .  16 

The  Republican  Altar  . . . .  19 

Architectural  Details  and  Construction . . .  19 

IV.  The  Imperial  Atrium  of  the  Second  Period  . . .  21-2S 

General  Description  . .  . . . .  21 

Plan  and  Arrangement  of  the  Interior  . . .  .  22 

The  Sacellum  Larum . . . . .  25 

The  Cult  Rooms  . . . . . .  26 

Architectural  Details  and  Construction  . . . . . .  27 

V.  The  Imperial  Atrium  of  the  Third  Period  . . .  29-34 

The  Rooms  on  the  East . . . . . .  29 

Arrangement  and  Description  of  the  Rooms  . . .  30 

Architectural  Details  . . . . .  32 

The  Rooms  on  the  South  . .  32 

Arrangement  and  Description  of  the  Rooms  . .  32 

Architectural  Details  .  . . . . .  33 

Construction  and  Materials . 33 

VI.  The  Imperial  Atrium  of  the  Fourth  Period . .  . .  3S“42 

General  Description  . . . . . .  35 

Arrangement  and  Description  of  the  Rooms  . .  35 

The  Group  of  Rooms  on  the  North  . . . .  .  36 

The  Group  of  Rooms  on  the  South  . . . .  37 

The  Mezzanine  . .  . . .  38 

Purpose  of  the  Rooms . . . . .  38 

The  Shops  . . 40 

Architectural  Details . 40 

The  Upper  Stories . 41 

Construction  and  Materials .  42 

VII.  The  Imperial  Atrium  of  the  Fifth  Period  . .  43-47 

General  Description  . 43 

Plan  of  the  Interior  and  Description  of  Changes  . . . .  43 

Architectural  Details  and  Construction  . . . . .  45 

Later  History  of  the  Atrium  .  . . . .  45 


V 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Frontispiece.  The  Atrium  Vestae,  seen  from  the  East.  Facing  Page 

Plate  I.  The  Atrium  Vestae  in  1903 . 2 

II.  Fig.  1,  The  Levels  of  the  Atrium.  Fig.  2,  Brick  Facing  of  the  Periods  of  the  Flavians  and  of 

Septimius  Severus . 4 

III.  Fig.  1,  Remains  of  the  Domus  Vestalium.  Fig.  2,  The  Earlier  Imperial  Atrium . 12 

IV.  Fig.  1,  Foundation  of  the  Walls  of  the  Imperial  Atrium  of  the  First  Period.  Fig.  2,  The 

Republican  Altar . 16 

V.  Fig.  i,  The  Rooms  for  the  Use  of  the  Cult.  Fig.  2,  The  North  Side  of  the  Atrium . 24 

VI.  Fig.  1,  The  Rooms  on  the  South,  built  by  Hadrian.  Fig.  2,  Walls  of  the  Third  and  Fourth 

Periods . 29 

VII.  Fig.  1,  The  Penus.  Fig.  2,  The  Shrine  of  the  Penates . 37 

VIII.  Fig.  1,  The  Street  on  the  North  of  the  Atrium.  Fig.  2,  Remains  of  the  Upper  Stories  ....  40 

IX.  Fig.  1,  The  Street  East  of  the  Atrium.  Fig.  2,  The  So-called  Ovens . 44 

X.  Fig.  1,  Arches  on  the  Nova  Via  of  the  Time  of  Septimius  Severus.  Fig.  2,  Stairs  of  a  Late 

Period . 46 

Plans  A  to  F.  Showing  walls  of  various  periods. 


VII 


INTRODUCTION 


The  House  of  the  Vestals  has  presented,  since  its  excavation,  many 
problems  of  great  interest  to  the  student  of  Roman  topography  and  Roman 
architecture.  It  was  clearly  seen  that  the  magnificent  building  was  not 
the  work  of  one  period  alone,  but  that  it  had  been  enlarged  and  beautified 
in  succeeding  epochs.  The  later  builders,  however,  did  their  work  in  such 
a  way  as  to  fit  it  as  far  as  possible  into  that  of  their  predecessors,  and 
thus  produced  the  impression  of  a  uniform  structure.  Consequently  it  is 
often  very  difficult  to  distinguish  the  different  periods. 

Valuable  monographs  on  the  Atrium  Vestse  have  been  published  by 
Lanciani  (1884),  Jordan  (1886),  and  Auer  (1888);  but  since  their  time 
new  researches  in  the  field  of  Roman  architecture  and  methods  of  con¬ 
struction  have  thrown  additional  light  upon  several  questions,  while  our 
material  for  the  study  of  the  building  has  been  essentially  increased  by  the 
most  recent  excavations  (1 900-1 901).  For  these  reasons  a  new  investiga¬ 
tion  of  the  Atrium  Vestae  had  become  a  necessity. 

In  the  following  pages  Professor  Van  Deman  undertakes  this  task  with 
great  energy  and  with  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  situation.  The  House 
of  the  Vestals  is  taken  up  in  her  monograph  not  as  an  isolated  problem, 
but  in  connection  with  a  thorough  and  extensive  study  of  Roman  brick¬ 
work.  As  a  result  of  these  studies  the  author  has  been  able  to  reconstruct 
the  history  of  the  Atrium  Vestae  in  the  first  and  second  centuries  A.  D. 
For  the  history  of  the  republican  building  also,  the  remains  of  which  are 
deeply  buried  under  the  imperial  Atrium  and  are  sketched  for  the  first  time 
in  Professor  Van  Deman’s  work,  valuable  suggestions  are  given.  Although 
some  of  the  author’s  statements  may  be  subjected  to  criticism  and  even 
corrected  by  later  researches,  her  work  marks  a  decided  advance  in  the 
investigation  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  monuments  of  the  Roman 
Forum,  and  is  besides  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  history  of  the  architec¬ 
ture  of  the  Romans  and  to  our  knowledge  of  their  methods  of  construction. 

CH.  HULSEN. 


Rome,  July ,  1909. 


IX 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTAE 


BY 

ESTHER  BOISE  VAN  DEMAN 


I. 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION. 

Excavation  of  the  Atrium:  In  October,  1883/  in  the  course  of  the  exca¬ 
vations  east  of  the  Forum  at  the  foot  of  the  Palatine,  there  was  discovered 
near  the  temple  of  Vesta  a  building  which,  from  the  inscriptions  and  statues 
found  in  and  near  it,  was  recognized  at  once  as  the  house  of  the  Vestal 
Virgins,  the  Atrium  Vestae.1 2  During  the  next  three  months  the  whole  of  the 
imperial  Atrium,  with  the  exception  of  the  rooms  on  the  southwest,  was 
excavated.  In  1899  the  work,  which  had  been  left  unfinished  in  1884,  was 
resumed,  and  in  1901,  after  the  demolition  of  the  church  of  S.  Maria  Libera- 
trice,  the  remaining  rooms  on  the  south  and  west,  which  before  that  time 
had  been  inaccessible,  were  uncovered.3  The  excavations  were  carried  below 
the  level  of  the  imperial  period  and  the  scanty  remains  of  the  earlier  republican 
Atrium4  were  laid  bare,  wherever  this  was  not  rendered  impossible  by  the 
presence  of  later  structures.  During  the  following  two  years  the  excavations 
in  the  Atrium  and  in  the  buildings  adjacent  to  it  were  brought  to  completion. 

Previous  Plans  and  Opinions:  Of  the  results  of  the  excavations  of  1883— 
84,  the  first  authoritative  accounts  published  were  those  of  Lanciani5  and 
Jordan.6  Their  plans  of  the  Atrium7  differed  but  little  and  were  in  their 
main  features  correct;  they  were  in  agreement  also  concerning  the  history 
of  the  building  in  considering  it  an  architectural  unit  and  the  work  of  a  single 
period.  But  in  their  opinions  regarding  the  specific  period  to  which  its 
construction  was  to  be  assigned,  they  disagreed  widely.  Jordan,  basing 
his  conclusions  on  the  presumable  date  of  the  inscription  over  the  cedicula 8 
and  the  dates  of  a  number  of  brick-stamps,9  held  that  the  building  was  the 
work  of  Hadrian10.  The  cedicula  is,  however,  as  Lanciani  pointed  out,11  not 
structurally  united  to  the  Atrium  and  need  not  therefore  be  of  the  same 


1  For  discussion  of  the  exact  date,  see  Not.  d.  Scavi, 

1883,  371,  470,  n.  1.  Jordan,  Dsr  Tempel 
der  Vesta,  5,  n.  5. 

2  In  the  fifteenth  century,  in  the  search  for  marbles 

to  supply  the  limekilns,  a  number  of  statues 
with  inscribed  bases  were  brought  to  light, 
leading  to  the  supposition  that  the  site  was 
that  of  the  burial-place  of  the  Vestals. 

3  Not.  d.  Scavi,  1899,  325-333;  1900,  159-191. 

Bull,  comun.,  1899,  253-256;  1902,  30; 

1903,  70-78.  Huelsen,  Roem.  Mitth.,  xvn, 

90!!. 


4  See  plan  A,  walls  indicated  in  red. 

6  Not.  d.  Scavi,  1883,  434:;.  Cf.  Ruins  and  Excava¬ 
tions,  40,  226ff. 

6  Bull,  dell’  Inst.,  1884,  88ff.  Cf.  Der  Tempel  der 

Vesta,  25(1. 

7  Lanciani,  Not.  d.  Scavi,  1883,  plate  xxii.  Cf. 

Ruins  and  Excavations,  figs.  72  and  92. 
Jordan,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  plate  1. 

8  Jordan,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  27  et  al. 

0  Jordan,  /.  c.,  28ff. 

10Jordan,  l.  c.,  28. 
uBull.  dell’  Inst.,  1884,  149. 


1 


2 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST,®. 


period.  Moreover,  the  larger  number  of  stamped  bricks  were  either  not 
found  in  structural  parts  of  the  building  or  are  for  various  reasons  open  to 
doubt  in  regard  to  their  dates.1  Lanciani,2  agreeing  with  Jordan  as  to  the 
architectural  unity  of  the  building,  assigned  the  whole  to  the  period  of 
Septimius  Severus.  His  conclusions  were  based  upon  the  general  style  of 
architecture  in  the  parts  best  preserved,  and  upon  the  presence,  in  certain 
walls,  of  brickwork  undoubtedly  belonging  to  the  time  of  Severus.  In  1888 
Auer,  a  practical  architect,  after  an  independent  study  of  the  building, 
published  a  brief  but  suggestive  discussion  of  its  history,3  with  a  new  plan 
of  the  group  of  rooms  on  the  east.4  His  conclusions5  differed  radically  from 
those  of  the  earlier  writers.  The  Atrium,  or  rather  the  part  of  it  then  exca¬ 
vated,  was  not,  he  held,  the  work  of  a  single  builder  or  period,  as  Jordan  and 
Lanciani  had  maintained,  but  was  composed  of  three  distinct  units,  which 
were  to  be  assigned  to  as  many  periods.6  The  group  of  rooms  on  the  east,7 
the  center  of  which  is  the  large  room  called  by  Jordan8  the  tablinum,  which 
was  rightly  regarded  by  Auer  as  a  single  structure,  was  the  earliest  part 
of  the  building  and  belonged  to  the  period  immediately  following  the  fire  of 
Nero.9  The  group  of  rooms  on  the  south  along  the  Nova  Via,  less  symmet¬ 
rical  in  plan  than  the  group  on  the  east,  was  wholly  the  work  of  Hadrian.10 
The  rooms  on  the  north,  which  were  more  difficult  to  identify,  since  they 
were  only  partly  excavated,  were  of  a  much  later  period,  possibly  later  than 
the  time  of  Diocletian.11  The  rooms  on  the  west  were  not  yet  excavated 
at  the  time  of  the  publication  of  Auer’s  work. 

Purpose  of  the  Present  Work:  The  conclusions  of  Auer  as  here  given 
were  generally  accepted  as  final,  when  the  results  of  the  excavations  which 
were  carried  on  in  1901-0312  led  me  to  a  careful  study  of  the  plans  of  the 
Atrium,  not  only  those  mentioned  above  but  those  which  have  been  pub¬ 
lished  more  recently,13  and  of  the  views  advanced  concerning  its  architectural 
history.  After  a  futile  attempt  to  adapt  the  plans  in  detail  to  the  walls  as 


1  Jordan  in  his  discussion  refers  to  seventy  stamps. 

Over  forty  of  these  are  valueless  as  direct 
evidence,  by  reason  of  uncertainty  concern¬ 
ing  their  original  place  in  the  walls  or  their 
date.  The  evidence  of  none  of  those  which 
are  free  from  doubt  is  contradictory  to  the 
conclusions  reached  in  this  discussion.  Cf. 
Auer,  Der  Tern  pel  der  Vesta,  20. 

2  Bull,  dell’  Inst.,  1884,  148®. 

3  Auer,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  1-10,  20-22. 

4  Auer,  /.  c.,  plate  n.  Plate  1  is  a  reproduction  of 

that  published  by  Lanciani  in  the  Notizie. 

6  Auer,  I.  c.,  3,  6-10,  20-21. 

6  A  fourth  period  may  be,  perhaps,  represented  by 

the  upper  story  (Auer,  l.  c.,  8).  Richter 
(T opographie  der  Stadt  Rom,  90)  seems  so 
to  interpret  the  divisions  made  by  Auer. 

7  Auer,  1.  c.,  plate  11.  Cf.  plan  C  of  the  present 

work. 

8  Jordan,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  36  et  al. 


9  Auer,  l.  c.,  20.  Note  Richter’s  error  (/.  c.)  in 
quoting  this  date. 

10Auer,  l.  c.,  21. 

nL.c.  Middleton  {Rem.  of  Anc.  Rome,  1,  309) 
accepted  in  general  the  view  of  Jordan. 
Richter  (/.  c.)  follows  that  of  Auer.  Huelsen 
(Huelsen-Carter,  The  Roman  Forum,  206 
and  fig.  125.  See  also  Huelsen,  Roem. 
Mitth.,  1889,  pp.  245-247),  adopting  the 
views  of  Auer  in  the  main,  adds  to  the  south 
rooms  those  more  recently  excavated  on  the 
west,  and  assigns  the  rooms  on  the  north  to 
the  period  of  Septimius  Severus.  The 
official  report  of  the  later  excavations  is  not 
yet  published. 

I2See  plate  1. 

13Huelsen,  Roem.  Mitth.,  xvn,  plate  1.  Vaglieri, 
Gli  Scavi  Recenti  nel  Foro  Romano,  1903, 
15  and  71.  Thedenat,  Le  Forum  Romain, 
1904,  317. 


The  Atrium  Vest/e  in  1903. 


r  Ln 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION. 


3 


I  saw  and  measured  them,  or  to  reconcile  the  facts  observed  with  any  of  the 
theories  suggested,  I  decided  to  make  an  independent  examination  of  the 
entire  building  and  of  the  evidences  bearing  upon  its  history.  In  this  exam¬ 
ination  my  purpose  was  twofold:  first,  to  prepare  a  more  exact  plan  of  the 
imperial  Atrium,  so  far  as  it  was  then  feasible,  into  which  the  walls  discovered 
since  1889  should  be  incorporated  as  soon  as  they  should  be  made  accessible 
through  their  official  publication;1  and,  second,  to  reconstruct  the  archi¬ 
tectural  history  of  the  building,  including,  so  far  as  possible,  that  of  the 
republican  structure  beneath  it. 

The  carrying  out  of  the  former  purpose  was  a  simple  matter,  though 
tedious,  consisting  merely  in  the  careful  measurement  of  such  of  the  walls 
now  standing  as  have  been  published.  In  the  plans  based  upon  these  meas¬ 
urements,  which  are  here  presented,2  a  number  of  errors  in  the  earlier  plans 
have  been  corrected  and  some  details  of  importance,  as  I  hope,  added. 

The  reconstruction  of  the  architectural  history  of  the  Atrium  was,  how¬ 
ever,  less  simple,  involving,  as  it  did,  the  determination  of  the  structural 
units  composing  the  building  and  their  chronological  relation  to  one  another, 
as  well  as  of  the  periods  to  which  they  are  to  be  assigned.  For  the  determi¬ 
nation  of  the  various  units  and  their  relation  to  one  another,  a  careful  exam¬ 
ination  was  made  of  the  building  as  a  whole,  as  well  as  of  the  individual  walls 
of  the  various  parts;  in  this  examination  special  consideration  was  given  to 
the  following  points: 

1.  The  comparative  level  of  the  individual  walls  in  each  part  and  the 

relation,  with  respect  to  level,  between  the  various  parts.3 

2.  The  unity,  in  the  several  parts,  in  architectural  plan  and  in  structure, 

the  latter  as  shown  especially  by  continuity  in  brickwork  and 
concrete. 

3.  The  superimposition  of  walls  of  one  type  upon  those  of  another. 

4.  The  methods  of  construction,  that  is,  the  thickness  of  the  individual 

walls  and  the  occurrence  and  frequency,  in  them,  of  bonding-courses 
composed  of  large  square  bricks,  the  tegulce  bipedales  of  Vitruvius;4 
and  where  it  could  be  ascertained  the  depth  of  the  concrete  founda¬ 
tions  and  the  width  of  the  courses  of  brick  and  the  layers  of  mortar.5 


1  By  the  courtesy  of  Commendatore  Boni,  Director 

of  the  Excavations,  I  continued  my  work  in 
the  Atrium  during  the  progress  of  the  exca¬ 
vations.  I  was  not,  however,  allowed  to 
measure  the  new  walls. 

2  Plans  A-F. 

3  See  plate  n,  fig.  l . 

1  De  Arch.,  vn,  I,  7;  4,  2.  The  tegulce  bipedales 
Lanciani  ( R .  and  E.,  47)  holds  appear  first 
in  the  Pantheon  and  Mausoleum  of  Hadrian. 
They  are  used,  however,  much  earlier, 
being  found  occasionally  in  the  walls  of 
Nero,  and  regularly  in  those  of  Domitian. 


6  In  earlier  investigations  concerning  brickwork, 
the  width  of  a  course  of  bricks  and  a  layer 
of  mortar  together  has  been  regarded  as  a 
unit  of  measurement,  or  the  number  of 
courses  of  brick  to  the  meter  has  been 
reckoned.  Both  of  these  methods  are  un¬ 
reliable,  since  with  the  decrease  in  the  width 
of  the  bricks  in  the  later  periods  there  is  a 
corresponding  increase  in  the  thickness  of 
the  mortar.  The  width  of  the  two  together, 
therefore,  and  the  number  of  courses  of 
bricks  in  a  meter  remain  in  general  the  same 
(see  plate  n,  fig.  2). 


4 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTiE. 


5.  The  character  of  the  materials  employed,  as  shown  by  the  size,  color, 
and  composition  of  the  bricks  and  by  the  color  and  composition  of 
the  mortar. 

For  the  determination  of  the  specific  periods  to  which  the  various  parts 
of  the  Atrium  belong,  a  comparative  study  was  made,  especially  with  regard 
to  the  methods  of  construction  and  the  materials  employed,  of  all  the  build¬ 
ings  in  and  near  Rome  to  which  a  certain  date  can  be  assigned.  To  this 
evidence  was  added  that  afforded  by  the  literature  and  coins.  The  number 
of  brick-stamps  accessible  to  me  was  not  sufficient  to  warrant  their  use  as 
evidence,1  except  in  a  very  limited  sense. 

Periods  in  the  Development  of  the  Atrium:  As  a  result  of  my  investigation 
along  the  lines  just  indicated,  certain  important  facts  have  been  established 
and  new  conclusions  reached  concerning  the  architectural  development  of 
the  Atrium.  The  structural  units2  of  which  it  is  composed,  apart  from  those 
of  the  early  republican  building,  the  number  of  which  it  is  impossible  to 
determine  accurately,  are  seven  or,  possibly,  eight.  These  will  be  described 
more  fully  in  connection  with  the  discussion  of  the  architectural  details  of 
the  several  Atria.  The  stages  in  the  history  of  the  building  represented 
by  these  seven  units  are,  however,  but  five  in  number.  While  no  conclusive 
evidence  remains  concerning  the  exact  dates  of  these  various  stages,  the 
periods  to  which  they  are  to  be  assigned  can,  as  will  be  seen,  be  definitely 
determined  in  all  cases. 

The  Imperial  Atrium  of  the  First  Period:  The  building  whose  scanty 
remains  lie  a  meter  below  the  present  level  of  the  Atrium3  may  be  accepted, 
from  its  orientation  and  style  of  architecture,  as  the  republican  Atrium 
Vestae.  More  than  half  a  meter  above  this  was  erected  another  building, 
consisting  of  a  court  45  meters  long,  which  was  surrounded  on  two  or, 
possibly,  three  sides  by  a  series  of  lofty  rooms.4  This  later  building,  which 
differed  in  orientation  and  architecture  not  only  from  the  earlier  Atrium, 
upon  the  remains  of  which  it  was  erected,  but  also  from  the  other  buildings 
of  the  precinct  contemporaneous  with  it,  belongs,  as  is  evident  from  its 
construction,  wholly  to  the  imperial  period.  In  the  earlier  of  the  two  build¬ 
ings,  the  republican  Atrium,  whose  architectural  history  extends  from  the 
early  republican  or  even  the  regal  period  to  that  of  the  early  Empire,  many 
of  the  walls  were  restored  more  than  once  before  their  final  destruction,  and 
new  walls  were  added,  especially  in  the  rooms  which  belonged  at  an  earlier 

1  The  value  of  brick-stamps  in  determining  the  2  By  a  structural  unit  is  here  meant  a  building  or  a 
date  of  the  structures  in  which  they  are  found  part  of  a  building  in  which  the  construction 

has  been  greatly  overestimated,  owing  to  the  is  identical  in  type  and  the  walls  are  con- 

failure  to  take  into  account  the  frequent  use  tinuous  throughout, 

of  new  material  in  repairing  old  walls  and  3  Plan  A,  ii-xii. 
of  old  material  in  constructing  new  ones.  4  Plan  A  and  pp.  i6ff. 


Fig.  1.  The  Levels  of  the  Atrium. 


Fig.  2,  Brick  Facing  of  the  Periods  of  the  Flavians  and  of  Septimus  Severus. 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION. 


5 


period  to  the  Domus  publica.  All  of  these  restorations  and  additions  are, 
so  far  as  can  now  be  determined,1  antecedent  to  the  fire  of  Nero.  It  is 
certain  that  at  that  time  the  whole  precinct  was  swept  by  the  flames.2  Had 
the  Atrium  survived  the  calamity,  there  would  be  traces  remaining  of  the 
restorations  necessitated  by  it.  Since,  as  we  have  said,  no  such  traces  are 
to  be  found,  the  final  destruction  of  the  earlier  building  can  not  have  been 
subsequent  to  that  event.  The  later  building  also,  which  was  erected  in  its 
place — which  we  have  called  the  first  imperial  Atrium — though  it  suffered 
at  least  twice  from  fire,  shows  no  evidence  of  any  such  complete  restoration 
as  would  have  been  necessary  had  it  been  built  before  and  passed  through’ 
the  great  fire.  We  may  conclude,  therefore,  that  the  earlier  building,  the 
republican  Atrium,  was  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  Nero  and  that  the  first 
imperial  Atrium,  by  which  it  was  replaced,  was  erected  at  some  time  sub¬ 
sequent  to  it.3  We  know  that  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Galba,  in  69  A.  D.,4 
the  precinct  of  Vesta  was  recognized  as  a  place  of  refuge  and  that  the  temple 
and  certain  of  the  less  important  rooms  connected  with  it  were  already  built. 
At  that  time,  therefore,  the  Atrium  must  have  been  in  large  part  completed, 
since  the  continual  attendance  of  the  Vestals  upon  the  temple-fire  made  it 
necessary  that,  with  the  restoration  of  the  regular  temple  cult,  they  resume 
their  residence  inside  the  precinct.  The  half-year  between  the  death  of  Nero 
and  that  of  Galba  would  have  been  insufficient  for  the  carrying  out  of  the 
whole  work;5 *  the  reconstruction  of  the  Atrium  as  well  as  of  the  temple8 
must,  then,  have  been  begun,  if  not  finished,  by  the  former.7  The  arguments 
presented  are,  as  it  seems  to  me,  sufficient  in  themselves  to  warrant  the 
acceptance  of  the  first  imperial  Atrium  as  the  work  of  Nero.  This  conclusion 
is,  however,  made  more  certain  by  the  evidence  of  the  walls  themselves, 
which  are  identical  in  material  and  in  methods  of  construction  with  those 
universally  recognized  as  belonging  to  his  time.8 


1  The  restorations  and  additions  belong  in  large 

part  to  the  Domus  publica.  Of  these  new 
walls  but  one  type  is  uncertain.  Although 
no  decision  can  now  be  reached  concerning 
its  date,  in  no  case  need  it  be  held  to  be 
later  than  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  Nero. 
For  further  discussion,  see  pp.  12-14. 

2  Tac.,  Ann.,  xv,  41. 

3  As  filling  for  the  concrete  foundations  of  this 

period,  rare  marbles  have  been  used  in  ap¬ 

preciable  quantities.  Before  their  abandon¬ 

ment  to  such  a  use,  these  marbles  must  have 
been  rendered  worthless  for  other  purposes 
by  the  destruction  of  the  earlier  buildings 
in  which  they  had  been  used.  Before  the 
rise  of  the  new  city  of  Augustus,  imported 
marbles  were  almost  unknown.  After  that 
period  no  destruction  befell  the  Atrium  or 
the  buildings  adjacent  to  it  until  the  fire  of 
Nero.  The  first  imperial  Atrium  must, 

therefore,  have  been  erected  after  that 

calamity. 


4  Plut.,  Galba,  27.  Tac.,  Hist.,  1,  43;  Piso  in 
adem  Vesta  pervasit,  exceptusque  tniseri- 
cordia  publici  servi  et  contubernio  eius  ab- 

ditus . protractus  Piso  in  foribus 

templi  trucidatus  est. 

6  The  coins  of  Galba  (Cohen,  Galba,  309-314,  364, 

367,  404,  432),  as  well  as  those  of  Vitellius 
(Cohen,  Vitellius,  89-91),  afford  evidence  of 
their  continuance  of  the  work. 

0  Owing  to  the  importance  of  the  cult,  neglect 
to  rebuild  the  temple  would  hardly  have 
escaped  the  notice  of  the  historians. 

7  H.  Dressel  ( Zeitschr .  fur  N umismatik,  xxii,  23, 

n.  3)  holds  that  the  temple  was  only  planned 
by  Nero,  but  built  at  a  later  time.  The  evi¬ 
dence  of  the  coins  is  not  in  harmony  with 
this  conclusion;  for,  though  the  variants  in 
type  are  not  numerous,  the  coins  represent 
a  number  of  issues.  Tor  example,  the  three 
gold  coins  in  the  British  Museum,  though 
of  one  type,  are  from  three  different  issues. 

8  See  pp.  19-20. 


6 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTiE. 


The  Atrium  of  the  Second  Period:  Within  a  few  years  after  the  erection 
of  the  first  imperial  Atrium,  it  suffered  considerable  injury  from  fire.1  The 
reconstruction  following  this  partial  destruction  constitutes  the  second  stage 
in  the  history  of  the  building.2  From  literary  evidence3  we  know  that  in 
the  reign  of  Vespasian  the  Tern  plum  August i  fell  a  prey  to  the  flames.  Since 
the  injury  to  the  Atrium  of  which  we  have  just  spoken  was,  so  far  as  can  be 
ascertained  from  the  walls  now  standing,4  confined  largely  to  the  rooms  on 
the  west  and  southwest,5  it  is  probable  that  it  was  the  result  of  this  same 
conflagration,  which,  entering  the  building  from  the  direction  of  the  temple 
of  Augustus,  swept  over  this  part  of  it  only.  From  the  coins  of  the  Flavian 
emperors6  it  is  clear  that  the  temple  of  Vesta  was  at  some  time  either  partly 
or  entirely  rebuilt  by  them.  Since  there  is  no  reference  to  any  injury  to  the 
temple  during  this  period,  or  to  any  other  calamity  befalling  this  part  of  the 
city  which  might  have  caused  its  destruction  except  that  just  mentioned, 
we  may  safely  assume  that  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple  indicated  by  the 
coins,  and  the  restoration  of  the  Atrium  which  very  naturally  accompanied 
it,  were  necessitated  by  the  injury  wrought  by  this  fire.  To  this  presumptive 
evidence  is  added  the  indisputable  evidence  afforded  by  the  masonry  of  the 
building,  which  is  of  the  same  type  as  that  of  the  numerous  other  buildings 
of  the  Flavian  emperors,  especially  of  Domitian.7  To  this  time,  therefore, 
we  may  assign  the  imperial  Atrium  of  the  second  period.8 


The  Atrium  of  the  Third  Period:  There  is  no  evidence,  either  direct  or 
indirect,  of  any  further  change  in  the  Atrium  until  the  second  century, 
when  with  the  growing  luxury  of  the  times  there  arose  the  necessity  for  a 
more  extensive  establishment.  To  satisfy  this  necessity  it  is  probable  that 
the  group  of  rooms  on  the  east9  was  added.  At  the  same  time  on  the  south 
there  was  built,  in  the  tablinum  of  the  earlier  Atrium,  a  smaller  group  of 
rooms.10  The  Atrium  so  enlarged  we  have  called  the  Atrium  of  the  third 
period.  Concerning  the  exact  time  at  which  these  additions  were  made,  the 
proofs  are  simple  and  decisive.  The  new  rooms  on  the  south  are,  as  will  be 


The  irregular  maimer  in  which  certain  of  the  walls 
have  been  repaired  indicates  destruction  by 
fire  rather  than  intentional  demolition.  For 
the  extent  of  the  injury,  see  plan  B  and  pp. 
2lff. 

2  Plan  B. 

3  Plin.,  N.  H.,  xii,  94. 

4  Cf.  plans  A  and  B.  For  further  discussion,  see 

p.  21. 

6  The  outer  walls  on  the  north,  which  are  standing 
to  a  considerable  height,  show  no  sign  of 
restoration  at  this  time.  Those  on  the  south¬ 
east  are  in  part  restored.  The  exact  extent 
of  this  restoration  can  not  at  present  be 
determined.  It  is,  however,  clear  that  it 
was  by  no  means  as  complete  as  that  of  the 
western  part  of  the  building. 


6  Coins  bearing  representations  of  the  temple: 

Cohen,  Vespasien,  577-581 ;  Titus,  347-351; 
Domitien,  613-616.  Coins  referring  to  the 
goddess  or  to  the  cult:  1.  c.,  Vespasien,  572- 
576;  Titus,  340-346;  Julie,  file  de  Titus, 
15-18;  Domitien,  611-612.  The  represen¬ 
tation  of  the  temple  on  these  coins  differs 
from  that  on  the  coins  of  Nero,  suggesting 
an  entire  rebuilding  of  the  temple  and  not 
the  completion  of  a  structure  already  begun. 

7  See  pp.  27-28. 

8  Huelsen  hold s  correctly  that  the  Templum  Augusti 

as  it  now  stands  is  the  work  of  Domitian. 
The  restoration  of  the  Atrium  by  him  is 
therefore  more  probable. 

9  Plan  C,  29-39. 
l0Plan  C,  13,  a,  b,  c,  d. 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION. 


7 


seen,1  later  in  construction  than  the  rooms  adjacent  to  them.  They  must, 
therefore,  belong  to  a  period  subsequent  to  that  of  Nero  and  of  the  Flavians, 
to  which  these  rooms  have  been  assigned.  The  rooms  on  the  east  are 
identical  in  type  of  construction  with  those  on  the  south.2  The  number  of 
coins  of  the  time  of  Hadrian3  which  refer  to  the  cult,  as  well  as  the  well- 
known  activity  of  that  ruler  in  building,  lead  to  the  assumption  that  the 
enlargement  of  the  Atrium  is  to  be  ascribed  to  him  rather  than  to  any 
other  of  the  post-Flavian  emperors.  With  this  conclusion  the  walls  are  in 
harmony,  agreeing  even  in  many  unessential  details  with  those  of  the  more 
important  monuments  of  Hadrian,  such  as  the  Mausoleum  and  the  Pan¬ 
theon.4  The  new  groups  of  rooms  on  the  east  and  on  the  south  are,  there¬ 
fore,  of  his  time. 

The  Atrium  of  the  Fourth  Period:  In  the  previous  period  there  had  been 
left,  on  either  side  of  the  garden5  on  the  east,  spaces  not  unlike  the  alee  of  the 
private  house.  By  filling  in  these  spaces  the  number  of  rooms  was  much 
increased  and  the  newer  part  of  the  Atrium  on  the  east  was  more  closely 
connected  with  the  earlier  building,6  although  the  court  on  the  west  and  the 
garden  were  not  united  to  form  the  present  large  court  until  a  later  period.7 
Over  the  eastern  half,  at  least,  of  the  Atrium,  when  so  enlarged,  upper  stories8 
were  built,  or  possibly,  in  the  case  of  the  rooms  already  existing,  rebuilt. 
These  alterations  and  additions  mark  the  fourth  stage  in  the  growth  of  the 
building.9  That  we  are  here  dealing  with  a  distinct  structure  and  one  later 
in  period  than  those  already  discussed  is  certain.  It  is  evident,  in  the  first 
place,  from  the  lack  of  agreement  in  architectural  plan  and  in  type  of  con¬ 
struction,  as  well  as  from  the  loose  mode  of  attachment  between  their  walls, 
that  the  rooms  which  are  here  under  discussion  are  structurally  distinct  from 
those  both  of  the  first  and  second  periods  on  the  west  and  of  the  third  period 
on  the  east.10  That  they  are  not  only  distinct  from,  but  later  than  the  rooms 
of  the  other  periods  is  even  more  evident.  The  concrete  foundation  of  the 
front  wall  of  the  east  rooms  projects  more  than  half  a  meter  beyond  the  wall 
itself.  On  the  north  side  of  the  court  the  later  wall,  the  foundation  of  which 
is  a  meter  lower  than  that  adjoining  it,  has  been  built,  in  a  bungling  fashion, 
against  and  on  top  of  this  projecting  foundation.11  In  the  same  manner, 
on  the  south  a  shelf  which  extended  along  the  front  wall  of  the  earlier  rooms 
has  been  utilized  in  the  building  of  the  new  walls.12  The  walls  of  the  upper 
stories  also,13  which  are  united  structurally  with  the  new  rooms  of  the  lower 
story,  are  built  on  top  of  those  of  the  east  rooms, 14or  are,  as  on  the  side  towards 


1  See  p.  32. 

2  See  pp.  32L 

3  Cohen,  Adrien,  1430;  Sabine,  64-68,  78-87.  The 

coins  of  the  time  of  Trajan  are  few  (Cohen, 

Trajan,  644-645;  Plotinc,  10-n).  The 

brickwork  also  does  not  belong  to  his  period. 

*  See  p.  33. 

‘  See  plan  C,  c. 

»  Plan  D. 


7  See  p.  43. 

8  Plan  Fa. 

9  Plans  D  and  Fa. 

“Auer  (/.  c.,  p.  8)  noted  certain  of  these  facts  and 
called  attention  to  their  significance. 

“Sec  p.  36  and  plate  vi,  fig.  2. 

,2See  p.  36. 

“Plan  F. 

14See  p.  42. 


8 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTiE. 


the  Palatine,  pushed  out  above  and  beyond  them.  The  structural  unit, 
therefore,  of  which  the  walls  of  the  upper  stories  form  a  part,  must  be  of  a 
period  later  than  that  of  these  rooms,  which  are  of  the  time  of  Hadrian.  The 
immediate  successors  of  Hadrian,  in  fact,  the  Antonines,  especially  Lucilla, 
were  liberal  benefactors  of  the  Vestals.1  With  the  architecture  of  their  time, 
moreover,  that  of  the  new  building  is  in  agreement.2  We  may,  therefore, 
conclude  that  the  additions  to  the  Atrium  by  which  the  eastern  half  of  the 
building  was  completed  are  to  be  assigned  to  the  period  of  the  Antonines 
and  are  probably  in  a  large  part  the  work  of  Lucilla. 

The  Atriurn  of  the  Fifth  Period:  During  the  reign  of  Commodus  the 
precinct  of  Vesta  suffered  again  from  fire.  In  this  case  the  fire  entered  the 
Atrium  from  the  side  towards  the  temple,  which  was,  as  we  know,  almost 
totally  destroyed  by  it.  The  injury  affected  most  seriously,  therefore,  the 
western  and  northwestern  rooms,  the  inner  walls  of  which  were  burned 
almost  to  the  ground.3  The  rooms  on  the  east  and  south,  however,  escaped 
injury.  The  restoration  following  this  partial  destruction  marks  the  last 
fixed  stage  in  the  development  of  the  Atrium.4  In  connection  with  this 
restoration  the  Atrium-court  on  the  west  was  extended  to  the  east  by  the 
destruction  of  the  walls  separating  it  from  the  earlier  garden5  and  by  the 
lowering  of  the  level  of  the  garden  to  that  of  the  court.  Discussion  of  the 
exact  period  at  which  this  restoration  took  place  is  rendered  needless  by  the 
peculiar  nature  of  the  brickwork,  which  is  that  accepted  without  question 
as  of  the  time  of  Septimius  Severus.  Julia  Domna,  the  wife  of  Septimius 
and  a  well-known  patroness  of  the  Vestals,  rebuilt  the  temple.8  It  is  likely 
therefore,  that  the  restoration  of  the  Atrium  was  also  her  work. 


After  the  time  of  Julia  Domna,  though  the  Atrium  shared  in  the  vicissitudes 
which  befell  the  buildings  in  its  vicinity,  the  restorations  and  additions  were 
of  comparatively  small  importance  and  can  not  be  assigned  to  any  certain 
period. 


1  The  coins  of  the  period  are  numerous.  Cohen 

Faustine  Mere,  285-293,  318;  Marc  Aur'ele 
et  Lucius  Verus,  2;  Faustine  Jeune,  284- 
286;  Lucille,  92;  Crispine,  45.  It  is  as¬ 
sumed  that  the  famous  medallion  of  Lucilla 
refers  to  a  restoration  of  the  temple.  It  is 
unlikely  that  the  temple  was  restored  by 
her.  It  is  possible  that  the  medallion  was 
struck  instead,  in  token  of  assistance  given 
the  Vestals  in  the  completion  of  the  Atrium. 

2  Unfortunately  very  little  masonry  of  the  time  of 

the  Antonines  remains. 

3  See  plan  E. 


4  Plan  E. 

6  See  p.  43.  The  extension  of  the  court  may  be  of 
the  preceding  period,  but  the  weight  of 
evidence  is  rather  in  favor  of  the  view  here 
given. 

8  This  is  clear  from  the  coins  of  the  period,  as  well 
as  from  other  testimony.  Coins  represent¬ 
ing  the  temple:  Cohen,  Julie  Domne,  232- 
244.  Coins  representing  Vesta:  l.c.,  220- 
231,  245-248.  It  is  likely  that  the  temple  at 
least  was  not  completed,  since  there  are 
coins  of  Caracalla  (/.  c.,  Caracalla,  249-251) 
on  which  it  appears. 


II. 


THE  REPUBLICAN  ATRIUM  VESTAS. 

Although  not  connected  directly  with  the  main  subject  under  discussion, 
the  imperial  Atrium  Vestae,  the  lack  of  definiteness  in  the  use,  among  ancient 
and  modem  writers  alike,  of  the  term  Atrium  Vestae  has  led  me  to  discuss 
briefly  the  earlier  use  of  the  name  and  its  gradual  restriction  to  that  build¬ 
ing  to  which  it  is  commonly  applied. 

The  Original  Atrium  Vestee:  During  the  earlier  period  of  its  existence 
there  were  no  distinct  buildings  inside  the  precinct  of  Vesta,1  but  the  various 
parts,  united  more  or  less  closely  among  themselves,  formed  a  single  complex 
structure.2  In  this  group  of  buildings  were  included  the  king’s  house  proper 
on  the  north  and  the  Domus  Vestalium,  or  private  rooms  of  the  Vestals,  on 
the  south,  the  small  temple,  or  more  properly  shrine,  of  Vesta  in  the  center, 
and  the  group  of  rooms  on  the  east,  known  later  as  the  Domus  publics;  along 
the  Nova  Via  at  the  foot  of  the  Palatine  lay  the  lucus  Vestce.3  The  center  of 
this  group  of  buildings  was  the  open  court  in  which  stood,  as  in  the  private 
house,  the  shrine  of  Vesta.  This  court  was  in  form  and  orientation  a  templum, 
which  at  an  early  period  was  probably  inaugurated,  though  later  this  was  not 
feasible,  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  cult  of  which  the  temple  was  the  center. 
The  walls  on  the  north  and  on  the  south  are  in  part  preserved.  On  the  west 
it  was  probably  bounded  by  the  outer  wall  of  the  precinct.4  Towards  the 
east,  that  is,  along  the  front  of  the  templum ,s  the  line  bounding  it  was  retained, 
even  after  the  change  in  orientation  of  the  surrounding  buildings,  in  a  raised 
edge,  or  curbing,®  in  the  pavement,  which  crossed  the  area  diagonally  in 


1  This  is  called  by  the  Italians  locus  Vests.  Cf. 

Maes,  Vestae  Vestaii.  157  etal.  Marucchi, 
Le  Forum  Remain,  160  et  at.  As  a  technical 
designation  for  the  precinct,  however,  the 
name  is  not  found  in  ancient  writers  and 
possibly  had  its  origin  in  a  mistranslation 
of  Ovid,  Trist.,  m,  1,  29:  Hie  locus  est 
Vests,  where  Vests  is  predicative  and  does 
not  depend  on  locus. 

2  The  road  which  now  divides  the  temple  from  the 

later  Regia  is  not  original. 

3  Cic.,  de  Divin.,  I,  45. 

4  There  are,  however,  in  the  rear  of  the  temple 

traces  of  a  row  of  rooms,  which  may  have 
formed  the  western  line  of  the  templum, 
though  the  remains  which  are  at  present 
visible  are  too  scanty  to  allow  of  any  certain 
conclusion  concerning  them.  Plan  A,  z 


6  Servius,  ad  Aen .,  vn,  153:  Templum  Vests  non 
fust  augurio  consecratum  ne  illuc  conveniret 
senatus  ubi  erant  virgines.  The  templum 
here  is  not  the  sdes  but  the  area,  or  court 
just  mentioned.  The  sdes,  because  of  its 
form,  could  not  be  inaugurated,  and  from 
its  size  and  arrangement  would  have  been, 
in  any  case,  impracticable  as  a  meeting- 
place  for  the  Senate.  Into  this  court,  in 
which  there  was,  as  is  shown  on  coins,  an 
altar,  Scievola  fled  for  refuge  in  82  B.  C. 
(Cic.,  de  Nat.  Deorum,  in,  32,  80.  Livy, 
Epit.,  lxxxvi  et  al.)  It  is  possible  that  the 
sacrificial  strata  found  at  the  southwest  of 
the  temple  (Not.  d.  Scant,  1900,  172)  may  be 
in  some  way  connected  with  the  exauguratio 
of  this  templum. 

6  Plan  A,  y. 


9 


10 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTiE. 


front  of  the  later  ccdicula.  The  pavement  itself,  the  eastern  half  of  which  is 
raised  slightly  above  the  other,  like  the  curbing,  still  preserves  the  earlier 
north  and  south  orientation.1  The  presence  of  this  square  inclosure  was 
recognized  by  Jordan,  who,  however,  considered  it  a  separate  temenos,  or 
precinct,  and  held  that  its  orientation,  like  that  of  the  temple,  was  due  to 
Greek  influence.2  The  rooms  on  the  north  side  of  the  court  with  those  on 
the  east3  formed  the  residence  of  the  king,  though  this  was,  at  least  in  later 
times,  merely  official.  The  rooms  on  the  south  were  set  aside  for  the  Vestal 
Virgins,  who  were  simply  a  part  of  the  king’s  household,  assisting  the  regina 
in  her  duties  as  mater  familias  of  the  state. 

This  whole  group  of  buildings,  called  more  commonly  the  Regia  of  the 
kings,4  was  the  original  Atrium  Vestae.  This  conclusion  is  based  upon  the 
following  facts.  It  is  evident  from  the  numerous  references  in  literature5 
that  there  existed  from  the  earliest  times  a  building  or  group  of  buildings 
inside  the  precinct  which  was  known  as  the  Atrium  Vestae.  It  is,  moreover, 
implied,  or  rather  assumed  as  known,  by  Servius6  that  this  earlier  building 
or  group  of  buildings  existed  before  and  was  distinct  in  location  from  the 
Atrium  of  the  Empire,  with  which  he  was  familiar.  The  original  Atrium 
must  have  consisted  of,  or  included  as  its  most  prominent  feature,  an  open 
court,  which  corresponded  in  general  style  to  the  Atrium  of  the  private  house, 
since  from  this  its  name  is  obviously  derived.7  This  court  must  also  have 
been  of  a  size  sufficient  for  the  meetings  of  the  senate,8  which  numbered 
during  the  period  with  which  we  are  concerned,  from  one  hundred  to  six 
hundred  members.  As  shown  by  recent  excavations,  the  precinct  of  Vesta 
contained  no  court  fulfilling  these  conditions  except  that  inclosing  the 
cedes,  which  has  been  described  above.9  This  court,  therefore,  or  rather 
the  group  of  buildings  of  which  it  was  the  center  and  to  which  the  name 
was  easily  extended,  was,  as  has  been  said,  the  earlier  Atrium  Vestae.  The 
use  of  the  designation  Atrium  for  such  a  group  of  buildings  is  not  peculiar. 
The  best-known  examples  are  the  Atrium  Libertatis,10 *  the  Atrium  Sutorium ,u 
and  the  Atria  Licinia  in  prima  Subura ,12  The  location  of  the  cedes  inside 
the  Atrium  finds  interesting  parallels  in  the  location  of  the  shrine  of  Minerva 


1  Cf.  Jordan,  t.c.,  23,  and  plan  B. 

2  Jordan,  I.  c.,  83. 

3  The  recognition  of  these  rooms  as  a  separate 

structure  took  place  much  later.  See  p.  xi. 

4  The  question  as  to  whether  the  Regia  and  the 

Atrium  Vestae  are  identical  has  been  much 

discussed.  For  principal  references,  see 

Ambrosch,  Studien  und  Andeutungen,  32®. 

The  identification  by  Ovid  is  of  especial 

interest.  Fasti,  vi,  263-264:  Hie  locus 

qui  sustinet  Atria  Vesta  Tunc  erat  intonsi 

Regia  magna  Numa.  By  a  confusion  of  the 

two  names  arose  later  the  designations 
Atrium  Regium  (Livy,  xxvi,  27,  3;  xxvii, 
n,  16)  and  Regia  Vesta  (Orelli,  2353). 


6  For  examples  see  Gell.,  1,  12;  Ovid,  I.  c.,  vi,  263; 
Servius,  ad  Aen.,  vii,  153;  Plin.  Epist. 
vn,  19. 

6  Servius,  t.c.,  Ad  Atrium  Vesta  conveniebat 

( senatus )  quod  fuerat  a  templo  remotum. 
The  meaning  of  this  much-disputed  passage 
seems  clear  from  the  recent  excavations. 

7  Jordan,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  38L  Cf.  Top.,  1, 

1,  532,  533,  n.  61.  Marquardt,  Rom. 
Staatsverw.,  Ill,  159. 

8  See  above,  n.  6. 

9  Pp.  9-10. 

l0Jordan,  Top.,  1,  11,  460L  Richter,  Top.,  io8f. 
“Jordan,  t.c.,  I,  II,  452.  Richter,  t.c.,  307. 
12Jordan,  t.c.,  1,  11,  433;  in,  331,  n.  21. 


THE  REPUBLICAN  ATRIUM  VESTJE. 


11 


inside  the  Atrium  Minervce,  as  suggested  by  Huelsen,1 2  and  of  the  cedes  Titi 
inside  the  Templum  Divorum ?  The  application  of  the  name  of  Vesta  alone 
to  the  whole  Atrium  arose  naturally  from  the  prominence  of  her  cult  among 
the  sacra  of  the  state  which  were  centered  there.3 


The  Republican  Atrium  Vestce:  With  the  gradual  breaking  up  of  the 
simple  cult  of  which  the  king’s  house  had  been  the  center,  and  the  growing 
independence  of  the  various  priesthoods  among  which  the  several  religious 
functions  of  the  king  had  been  divided,  the  necessity  arose  for  the  assignment 
to  them  of  distinct  official  residences.  At  this  time  it  is  probable  that  the 
parts  of  the  Atrium  became  independent;  for  during  the  later  Republic  and 
the  early  Empire,  in  place  of  a  single  complex  structure  bearing  one  name, 
there  were  recognized  four  separate  parts  with  as  many  distinct  names,  two 
of  which  were,  however,  those  applied  earlier  to  the  whole  structure.  These 
four  parts  were:  (i)  the  rooms  on  the  north  of  the  temple  area,  which  at 
least  after  their  reconstruction  by  Domitius  Calvinus,  in  36  B.  C.,  were 
regarded  as  a  distinct  structure,  and  to  which  was  technically  restricted 
the  name  of  Regia;  (2)  the  cedes  (less  correctly  called  the  templum)  Vestce; 
(3)  the  rooms  on  the  south,  the  Domus  Vestalium,  to  which  the  name  Atrium 
was  probably  limited;4  and  (4)  the  rooms  on  the  east,  the  Domus  publica, 
in  which  the  Pontifex  Maximus5  continued  to  live  until  Augustus  on  his 
assumption  of  the  priesthood,  in  12  B.  C., 6  transferred  the  official  residence 
to  the  Palatine.7  The  names  Atrium  Vestae  and  Regia,  however,  though 
technically  restricted  to  the  parts  named,  were  used  also  in  the  earlier  and 
more  general  sense.8  The  lucus  Vestce,  which  covered  the  space  originally 
between  the  Atrium  and  the  Palatine,  yielded  place  gradually  to  the  new 
buildings,  though  a  small  part  of  it  remained  until  a  very  late  period. 

After  the  destruction  of  the  whole  group  of  buildings  in  the  fire  of  Nero,9 
the  Atrium  was  rebuilt  on  a  scale  commensurate  in  size  with  the  other 
buildings  of  the  period  and  with  a  different  orientation  from  the  earlier 
buildings.10  In  this  reconstruction  the  Domus  publica  disappeared  wholly. 


1  The  Roman  Forum ,  1 1 7 . 

2  Jordan,  l.c.,  in,  565. 

3  A  parallel  is  found  in  the  title  of  the  priestesses. 

Their  office  was  that  of  the  mater  familias, 
but  from  the  prominence  of  the  one  cult 
among  the  many  committed  to  them  arose 
the  title  Virgines  Vestales.  Cf.  Pontifices 
Vestce. 

4  It  is  possible  that  the  name  Atrium  included  at 

that  time  not  only  the  Domus,  but  also  the 

area  of  the  temple.  The  remains  (plan  A) 
show  that  a  peculiarly  close  relationship 

existed  between  the  two  parts  until  the 

destruction  of  the  whole  building  in  the 

first  century  A.  D.  After  that  time  the 
Atrium  was  much  less  closely  connected 

with  the  temple. 


6  The  rise  into  prominence  of  the  pontifical  power 
was  coincident  with  or  followed  closely  after 
the  fall  of  the  kings  (Marquardt,  Rom. 
Staatsverw.,  in,  235ft .).  The  granting  of 
the  Domus  publica  to  the  Pontifex  Maximus 
as  his  official  residence  occurred  probably 
at  the  same  time. 

6  See  Wissowa,  Religion  und  Kultus  der  Rbmer,  69. 

7  Dion  Cass.,  uv,  27. 

8  By  Cicero  (ad  Att.,  x,  3),  as  well  as  by  other 

writers,  the  name  Regia  is  used  for  the 
Domus  publica.  Examples  occur  also  of 
the  use  of  Atrium  Vestae  for  the  entire  group 
of  buildings. 

0  See  p.  5. 

i0See  plan  A. 


12 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST^. 


Remains  of  the  Republican  Atrium:  The  remains  of  the  original  republican 
Atrium1  as  a  whole  are  scanty,  though  easily  distinguished  from  those  of 
the  later  buildings  on  account  of  their  difference  in  orientation  and  in  con¬ 
struction.  The  remains  of  that  part  of  the  building  with  which  we  are  more 
immediately  concerned,  the  early  house  of  the  Vestals,  to  which  in  12  B.  C. 
the  Domus  publica  had  been  added,  are  even  fewer  than  those  of  the  other 
parts.2  There  are  distinguishable,  however,  even  in  these  scanty  remains, 
three  periods  of  construction.3 4  The  walls  belonging  to  the  first  of  these 
periods  are,  like  those  of  the  Regia  proper,  of  tufa  of  two  different  varieties. 
Of  these  the  walls  of  cappellaccio 4  are  somewhat  the  older,  though  those  of 
light-yellow  tufa  may  be  but  a  little  later.  At  an  early  period  certain  of 
these  walls  were  restored  and  new  ones  added  in  the  harder  reddish-brown 
tufa.  In  12  B.  C.,5  or  a  little  later,  extensive  changes  were  made  in  the 
Domus  publica  both  in  plan  and  in  type  of  construction,  either  to  render  it 
more  serviceable  to  the  Vestals  or  in  consequence  of  some  partial  destruction 
of  the  earlier  building.6  At  the  same  time  some  unimportant  changes  took 
place  in  the  Atrium.  To  this  period  belong  the  numerous  brick-faced  walls7 
by  which  the  tufa  walls  of  the  older  building  have  been  replaced  and  its 
larger  rooms  and  central  court  cut  into  smaller  rooms.8 


The  Domus  Vestalium:  The  original  house  of  the  Vestals  occupied  the 
space  between  the  temple  area  on  the  north  and  the  lucus  Vesta:  on  the  south, 
the  precinct  of  Juturna  on  the  west  and  the  Domus  publica  on  the  east.  The 
level  is  a  little  more  than  a  meter  below  that  of  the  later  imperial  Atrium. 
The  orientation  is,  like  that  of  the  precinct  as  a  whole,  north  and  south. 
The  apportionment  of  rooms  between  the  Domus  publica  and  the  Domus 
Vestalium  is  difficult,  since  “the  common  wall”  of  which  Dion  Cassius9 
speaks  can  not  be  determined  definitely.  Of  that  portion  of  the  whole  which 
belonged  certainly  to  the  house  of  the  Vestals,  the  principal  parts  distin¬ 
guishable  are  a  small  vestibule-court10  and  a  series  of  rooms11  along  two  sides 
of  it.  The  court  opened  directly  from  the  central  area  in  which  the  temple12 
stood  and  was  about  20  meters  long  and  7  or  8  meters  wide.  It  was  paved 
with  a  mosaic  pavement  made  of  a  white  limestone  resembling  marmor 
palombino  and  silex,  into  which  were  set  at  irregular  intervals  larger  pieces  of 


1  See  plan  A,  walls  indicated  in  red. 

2  Plan  A,  n-xii.  Since  the  official  reports  con¬ 

cerning  the  excavations  are  not  yet  published, 
no  exact  plan  of  the  republican  walls  is 
possible.  The  partial  plan  given  is  not 
intended  to  be  more  than  a  suggestion  of 
the  main  features  of  the  building. 

3  The  first  two  periods  have  not  been  distinguished 

on  the  plan. 

4  An  inferior  kind  of  tufa,  which  is  found  in  the 

buildings  of  the  earliest  period. 

5  The  Domus  publica  was  granted  to  the  Vestal 

Virgins  by  Augustus  in  that  year.  Dion 

Cass.,  liv,  27. 


6  In  14  B.  C.  the  Basilica  Aemilia  with  the  build¬ 

ings  near  it  was  burned.  It  is  possible  that 
the  Atrium  may  have  suffered  also. 

7  Plan  A,  walls  outlined  in  indigo. 

8  Middleton  recognized  three  periods  of  construc¬ 

tion  in  the  early  Atrium.  The  division 
made  by  him  ( Archceologia ,  xux,  399ff.)  is, 
however,  inaccurate. 

9  Dion  Cass.,  liv,  27.  One  of  two  walls  is  possible. 

The  evidence  concerning  either  of  them  is 
not  decisive. 

10Plan  A,  11. 

"Plan  A,  hi— 1  x  and  plate  in,  fig.  1. 

12Plan  A. 


PLATE  III, 


£.  B. 


Fig.  2.  The  Earlier  Imperial  Atrium 


•  906. 


THE  REPUBLICAN  ATRIUM  VESTED. 


13 


bright-colored  marble.1  Out  of  this  court,  on  the  south,  open  five  or  six 
small  rooms,2  which  are  not  more  than  4  meters  long  and  vary  from  2.50  to 
4  meters  in  width.  On  the  west  are  other  rooms3  the  dimensions  of  which 
can  not  be  ascertained,  since  they  have  been  almost  wholly  destroyed  by  the 
erection  of  the  later  building.  In  the  smaller  rooms4  are  pavements  similar  to 
that  in  the  vestibule,  but  of  a  finer  quality.5  Beyond  the  rooms  on  the  south 
was  an  area  paved  with  blocks  of  cappellaccio,  opening  probably  upon  the 
earlier  Nova  Via.6  In  a  room,  or  court,  on  the  southwest  was  a  rectangular 
basin,7  resembling  the  impluvium  of  the  private  house. 


The  Dom  us  Publica:  The  extent  of  the  Dotnus  pubhca  is  uncertain,  but 
it  is  probable  from  the  existing  remains  that  it  was  much  larger  than  the 
Domus  Vestalium.  It  is  likely  that  it  covered  almost  the  entire  space  between 
the  Sacra  Via8  and  the  earlier  Nova  Via.  On  the  west  it  was  united  to  the 
house  of  the  Vestals  by  “the  common  wall”  of  which  we  have  spoken.  On 
the  east  it  may  have  extended  to  the  precinct  which  inclosed  the  ancient  altar 
destroyed  later  by  Nero.  It  is  more  probable,  however,  that  the  group  of 
rooms  about  the  court  on  the  east9  belonged  to  another  house.10  The  general 
plan  of  the  Domus  can  not  be  determined.  In  the  center  of  the  earlier 
building  was  an  open  court,11  of  which  there  remain  the  bases  of  two  columns 
and  a  gutter  of  travertine,  as  well  as  other  smaller  fragments.  Of  the  rooms 
opening  upon  this  court  but  little  remains.  In  the  later  reconstruction  this 
court  was  replaced  by  a  number  of  smaller  rooms.  Beyond  it  on  the  east 
there  were  other  rooms.  The  largest  of  these,12  in  which  there  is  an  apse, 
was  possibly  a  center  for  some  of  the  various  rites  over  which  the  Vestals 
presided. 

In  the  earlier  excavations  some  fragmentary  remains  were  found  of  the 
painted  stucco  with  which  the  Domus  pubhca  was  decorated.13  But  few 
traces  of  this  are  now  visible,  though  the  pieces  of  marble  inserted  in  the 
walls  to  furnish  a  hold  for  the  stucco  are  still  to  be  found  in  many  places 
The  style  of  decoration14  is  very  simple,  consisting  of  panels  in  plain  colors, 
marked  off  by  narrow  lines,  in  which  were  circles  or  simple  floral  designs. 


1  The  pavement  in  the  vestibule  of  the  house  of 

Livia  at  Prima  Porta  is  of  the  same  type 
and  probably  of  the  same  period.  Similar 
pavements  found  frequently  in  Pompeii 
belong  to  the  late  republican  period. 

2  Plan  A,  iv-ix,  and  plate  in,  fig.  I. 

3  Plan  A,  hi. 

4  Plan  A,  iv-ix. 

6  The  pavement  in  these  rooms  resembles  that  of 
the  private  house  destroyed  by  Nero  in  the 
construction  of  his  Golden  House,  of  which 
a  small  part  still  remains  below  the  Baths  of 
Trajan. 

6  The  course  of  The  Nova  Via  was  originally  fur¬ 

ther  towards  the  north  than  at  present. 

7  Plan  A,  W. 


8  Along  the  Sacra  Via  was  a  row  of  rooms  or  shops 

which  may  have  formed  a  structural  part  of 
the  Domus. 

9  Plan  A,  xiii. 

10Behind  the  room  with  an  apse  (Plan  A,  xi)  there  is 
a  heavy  wall,  which  may  be  the  division  wall 
between  the  two  houses.  If  this  be  so,  the 
entire  building  to  the  west  of  this  wall  must 
be  included  in  the  house  of  the  Vestals  and 
the  Domus  publica  confined  to  the  group  of 
the  rooms  on  the  east. 

“Plan  A,  x. 

12Plan  A,  xi. 

13Middleton,  Archaologia,  xlix,  400L 

14See  Middleton,  /.  c.,  xlix,  plate  opposite  p.  402. 


14 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST2E. 


In  a  room  at  the  east  end  of  the  house,1  a  small  part  of  a  more  elaborate 
painting  was  found,2  which  suggests  in  general  style  the  well-known  fresco 
of  the  house  of  Livia  at  Prima  Porta.  The  pavements,  which  have  been 
preserved  in  several  of  the  rooms,  do  not  differ  in  style  from  those  of  the 
Doinus  Vestahum  described  above.3 

Construction  and  Materials:  The  walls  of  the  republican  period  are  40 
and  60  centimeters  thick.  Those  of  the  earliest  type  are  of  opus  quadratum 
made  from  smaller  blocks  of  the  gray-green  cappellacclo ,4  which  is  found  in 
other  early  structures  in  the  Forum  and  on  the  Palatine.  These  walls  have 
been  replaced  or  added  to  by  others  composed  of  much  larger  blocks  of 
light-yellow  and  reddish-brown  tufa.  The  walls  of  the  later  restorations  are 
of  concrete  faced  with  opus  reticulatum  or  with  brick,  and  vary  in  thickness 
from  40  to  75  centimeters.  The  brick-faced  walls,  a  considerable  number  of 
which  are  still  to  be  found,  are  of  two  types.  In  one  of  these  the  courses 
of  brick  are  from  3.50  to  4  centimeters  wide  and  the  layers  of  mortar  from 
1.50  to  1.75  centimeters.  No  bonding-courses  are  used.  The  bricks,  which 
are  made  wholly  from  flanged  roof-tiles  cut  or  broken  in  an  irregular  manner, 
are  magenta-red  in  color  and  of  very  fine  texture.  Walls  of  this  type5  are 
found  also  in  the  Praetorian  Camp  and  in  the  earlier  buildings  below  the 
temple  of  Augustus,  as  well  as  in  the  so-called  Flavian  rostra.6  In  the  walls 
of  the  other  type,  of  which  but  a  few  remain,  the  courses  of  brick  are  but 
3  centimeters  or  less  thick  and  the  layers  of  mortar  1.25  to  1.75  centimeters. 
The  bricks  are  yellow  or  reddish-yellow  in  color  and  of  remarkably  fine 
texture.  Walls  of  this  type,  which  are  especially  frequent  in  the  facing 
of  tombs,  where  the  brickwork  was  not  intended  to  be  covered  by  stucco 
or  marble,  are  not  confined  to  any  one  period,  though  they  are  usually  held 
to  have  been  most  common  during  the  reign  of  Nero  or  a  little  earlier. 

1  Plan  A,  xn. 

2  This  fresco,  though  faded,  is  still  visible. 

3Pp-  12-13- 

4  See  p.  12,  n.  4. 

5  The  exact  date  of  the  walls  of  this  type  is  yet  unsettled.  The  greater  number  known  tome 

are  of  the  time  of  Tiberius.  Shortly  after  this  period,  they  give  place  to  an  entirely  new  type. 

6  This  rostra  is,  as  Huelsen  holds,  of  the  period  of  Augustus. 


III. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FIRST  PERIOD. 


General  Description:  The  new  Atrium  which  arose  after  the  fire  of  Nero,1 
which  we  have  called  the  imperial  Atrium  of  the  first  period,  was,  as  has 
been  said,2  wholly  distinct  from  the  earlier  republican  Atrium  Vestse,  as 
it  was  also  from  the  other  imperial  buildings  inside  the  precinct.3  It  differed 
from  the  republican  Atrium  in  materials  and  methods  of  construction,  as 
well  as  in  extent,  orientation,  and  level.  From  the  buildings  of  the  period 
also,  it  differed  in  orientation  and  level.  In  its  size  the  new  Atrium,  which 
was  not  out  of  keeping  with  the  other  buildings  which  arose  out  of  the  ashes 
of  the  great  fire,  was  a  striking  contrast  to  that  of  the  Republic.  Its  length 
was  more  than  70  meters,  exclusive  of  the  garden,  which  extended  at  least 
15  or  20  meters  further  to  the  east.  Its  width  was  not  less  than  45  meters. 
Beyond  the  Atrium  on  the  north,  there  was  also,  opening  upon  a  narrow 
street,  a  line  of  small  shops  4.50  meters  deep,  which  were  a  part  of  the 
building  structurally  and  belonged  probably  to  the  Vestals.  The  street  itself, 
which  connects  the  Forum  directly  with  the  height  of  the  Velia,  is  to  be 
assigned  to  this  period,  since  in  this  part  of  its  course,  it  is  built  upon  the 
remains  of  the  Domus  publica,  as  are  the  shops  opening  upon  it.  The  new 
Atrium  extended  from  the  rear  wall  of  the  shops  to  the  Nova  Via  on  the 
south.4  It  was  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  precinct  of  Juturna.  On  the 
east  its  exact  extent  is  unknown.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  on  this  side 
it  extended  to  the  row  of  shops5  opening  upon  the  street  in  the  rear  of  the 
Atrium.  The  ancient  altar6  northeast  of  the  Atrium  was  destroyed  in  the 
course  of  the  erection  of  these  shops.7  The  new  building  was  made  to  con¬ 
form  in  its  orientation  to  the  south  side  of  the  Forum  and  to  the  new  Nova 
Via,8  though  the  Regia  and  the  temple  remained  unchanged.  It  is  difficult 
to  fix  accurately  the  level  of  this  period.  It  can  not  have  been,  however,  less 


1  Plan  B,  cf.  plan  A. 

2  See  above,  p.  4. 

*  The  later  Atrium  and  the  temple  of  Vesta  were 
surrounded  by  a  common  precinct  wall. 
They  were,  however,  structurally  distinct 
from  each  other. 

4  The  earlier  Nova  Via  was  at  this  time  destroyed 

and  the  present  street  built  in  its  place. 

6  Plan  A,  m"-m" .  Towards  the  east  also  there  may 

have  been  a  few  shops  opening  upon  the 

Nova  Via.  Concerning  the  existence  of 
these  shops,  however,  with  the  exception 
of  one,  the  evidence  is  not  conclusive. 


6  Plan  A,  b,  and  p.  19. 

7  Plan  A, 

8  Jordan  (/.  c.,  28)  suggested  that  the  change  was 

brought  about  by  the  great  mass  of  the 
temple  of  Venus  and  Rome.  This  is  of 
course  impossible,  since,  as  we  now  know, 
the  first  imperial  Atrium  was  built  a  half- 
century  earlier  than  the  temple.  The  orien¬ 
tation  of  the  Domus  Aurea,  however,  which 
differed  but  slightly  from  that  of  the  later 
temple  (see  Huelsen-Carter,  The  Roman 
Forum,  plate  2)  may  not  have  been  without 
its  influence. 


15 


16 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST/*. 


than  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  a  meter  above  that  of  the  older  building,  the 
walls  of  which  have  been  left  standing  to  that  height.1  The  center  of  the 
court  must  have  been  somewhat  higher,  since  almost  a  meter  above  the 
earlier  level  a  small  piece  of  the  natural  rock,  the  cappellaccio  of  the  neigh¬ 
boring  Palatine,  has  been  left  undisturbed.2 

Ol  the  outer  walls  of  the  Atrium  proper  that  on  the  north,  which  divided 
the  shops3  from  the  residence  rooms,4  is  still  standing  to  a  considerable  height, 
except  at  the  east  end,  where  its  presence  is  clearly  indicated,  however,  by 
the  remains  of  the  division-walls  between  the  shops.  The  front  wall  of  the 
shops,  as  well  as  the  corresponding  wall  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street, 
has  been  torn  down.5  The  wall  dividing  the  Atrium  from  the  temple  area 
also  is  in  part  traceable,  though  its  course  towards  the  west  has  been  rendered 
uncertain  by  later  reconstructions.6  It  may  possibly  have  followed  the  line 
of  the  later  outer  wall,7  though  no  traces  of  it  remain.  Since,  however,  that 
portion  which  can  still  be  identified  is  in  line  with  the  later  column  wall, 
it  is  more  probable  that  the  direction  of  its  course  did  not  in  general  differ 
from  that  of  the  latter.  On  the  south  a  portion  of  the  outer  wall  behind 
the  rooms  which  remain  is  still  standing  several  meters  above  the  ground. 
Beyond  the  Tablinum8  towards  the  west,  however,  it  has  been  wholly  re¬ 
built,  though  its  earlier  course  is  clear.  The  position  of  the  wall  bounding 
the  Atrium  on  the  east  is,  as  has  been  said,  not  definitely  fixed.  On  the  west, 
between  the  precincts  of  Vesta  and  Juturna,  the  arches  of  the  republican 
period9  which  support  the  ramp  to  the  Palatine  are  in  part  still  to  be  traced. 
The  wall  in  their  rear,  which  runs  parallel  to  them,  can  not,  therefore,  at 
any  time  have  varied  much  in  position.  The  foundations  of  the  earlier  wall, 
moreover,  are  in  certain  places  still  visible  beneath  the  restorations  of  the 
later  periods.  The  walls10  of  the  room  between  the  court  and  the  garden  on 
the  east  have  been  almost  wholly  destroyed.  Their  general  position  is,  how¬ 
ever,  certain. 

Plan  and  Arrangement  of  the  Interior:  The  building  as  a  whole  is,  so 
far  as  can  be  at  present  determined,  composed  of  two  architectural  units, 
one  of  which  is  represented  by  the  group  of  rooms  on  the  north  of  the  central 
court11  and  the  other  by  that  on  the  south  of  it.12  These  two  groups  probably 
were  not  distinct,  when  built,  but  were  structurally  united  by  the  rooms 


1  No  traces  of  the  pavement  of  this  period  remain. 

2  The  lucus  Vesta  covered  originally  the  site  of  the 

Atrium  court.  It  is  possible  that  a  small 
portion  of  this  grove,  including  the  lotus 
capillata,  was  left  in  the  center  of  the  court. 

3  Plan  A,  m-m. 

4  Plan  A,  1-9. 

6  The  foundations  of  the  front  wall  of  the  shops 

remain  throughout  their  whole  length. 

Concerning  the  massive  concrete  founda¬ 

tions  of  these  two  walls,  see  p.  18,  n.  10. 

Plan  E,  56/a— 56c. 


7  See  plan  B. 

8  Plan  A,  13. 

9  For  description  of  these  arches,  see  Boni,  Not.  d. 

Scavi,  1901,  62ff. 

10Plate  iv,  fig.  1 .  (From  a  photograph  taken  ur- 
ing  the  course  of  the  excavations  in  1903, 
by  the  courtesy  of  Director  Boni.)  The 
walls  are  seen  at  the  level  of  the  foundations 
at  the  right  side  of  the  figure.  Concerning 
the  period  of  this  room,  see  p.  18,  n.  8. 
"Plan  A,  1-9. 
l2Plan  A,  10-15. 


PLATE  IV. 


E.  R.  V.  D. 


Fig.  2.  The  Republican  Altar. 


1905. 


. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FIRST  PERIOD. 


17 


on  the  west,  which  have  been  destroyed  in  the  course  of  later  restorations. 
The  two  parts  formed  thus  a  single  complex  structure,  which  is  plainly  of 
one  period  and  the  work  of  one  builder.  This  is  shown  most  clearly  by  the 
general  harmony  in  architectural  plan  and  by  the  structural  unity  which 
exists  throughout  the  parts  of  the  building  which  are  preserved.  The  level  of 
the  concrete  foundations  also  varies  but  a  little  in  the  several  parts,  although 
that  of  the  pavement  above  them  can  not  be  determined.  The  methods  of 
construction  are,  in  general,  the  same  and  the  character  of  the  material  used 
is  identical. 

The  interior  of  the  Atrium  can  be  reconstructed  only  in  its  more  general 
features.  The  size  and  arrangement  of  the  rooms  on  the  west  it  is  impossible 
to  determine,  since  they  have  been  rendered  inaccessible  by  the  later  build¬ 
ings  which  have  been  placed  on  top  of  them.  The  existence  and  general 
position  of  the  rooms  on  the  north1  is  certain,  but  no  exact  restoration  of  them 
is  at  present  possible.  While,  however,  the  reconstruction  of  the  Atrium  as  a 
whole  is,  as  has  been  said,  impossible,  the  general  plan  of  the  building  is 
clear.2  In  the  center  was  a  large  court,3  or  atrium,  extending  from  north¬ 
east  to  southwest,  45.50+  meters  long  and  about  21  meters  wide.  On  both 
sides  and  possibly  at  the  west  end  of  this  court  was  a  series  of  lofty  rooms.4 
There  was  left  on  the  east  a  broad  entrance  into  the  garden  beyond,5 *  which 
sloped  gradually  upward  to  the  rear  of  the  Atrium.  The  main  entrance8 
into  the  building  was  through  a  vestibule  directly  from  the  street  on  the 
north  and  not,  as  at  a  later  time,  from  the  temple  area.7  The  door  on  the 
north,  which  was  closed  by  a  cross-wall  of  the  house  of  the  next  period,  was 
1.75  meters  wide  and  between  2  and  3  meters  high.  There  was  doubtless,  as 
later,  a  door  leading  directly  from  the  Atrium  into  the  temple  area  for  the  use 
of  the  priestesses  in  their  attendance  on  the  temple.  The  rooms  on  the  north 
were  at  least  nine  in  number.  They  were  1 1  meters  or  more  long  and  vary  in 
width  from  4.15  to  4.85  meters.  Between  the  three  rooms  towards  the  west, 
there  are  doors  1.77  meters  wide.9  There  may  have  been  originally  similar 
doors  between  the  other  rooms  also,  though  no  trace  of  them  now  remains, 
since  the  walls  have  been  destroyed  almost  to  the  foundations.  For  the  same 
reason  it  is  not  possible  to  decide  whether  the  rooms  opened  into  the  court 
through  doors  or  wide  arches.  On  the  south  side  of  the  court  opposite  the 
entrance  was  a  large  open  room,10  which  on  account  of  its  position  and  pro¬ 
portions  may  be  regarded  as  the  tablinum.  Next  to  it  on  either  side  was  a 
smaller  room,  wdiich  was  open  also  to  the  atrium.  Of  these  rooms  that  on 


1  Plan  A,  1-9. 

2  See  plan  A. 

3  From  data  recently  obtained  it  seems  possible  that 

earlier  walls  existed  in  the  same  position  as 

those  on  which  the  ends  of  the  colonnade 

of  the  next  period  (see  plan  B)  rested. 

The  earlier  court  would,  in  that  case,  have 

extended  on  the  east  and  west  only  to  these 

walls. 


4  Plan  A,  1-9,  to-i  J. 

6  Plan  A,  c. 

6  Plan  A,  n. 

7  See  plan  B  and  p.  23. 

8  Plan  A,  1-3. 

9  Approximately  6  Roman  feet,  a  common  meas¬ 

urement  throughout  the  whole  building. 
10Plan  A,  13.  This  room  was  16.07  meters  wide 
and  10.28  meters  long. 


18 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST4E. 


the  east1  was  7.43  meters  wide,  while  the  corresponding  room,2  though,  in 
all  probability,  of  the  same  width  originally,  was  at  a  later  time  15  cen¬ 
timeters  narrower.  The  latter  room,  which  at  least  later  contained  the  shrine 
of  the  household  gods,3  may  be  held  to  be  the  lararium  of  the  house.  It  is 
probable,  therefore,  that  the  two  rooms  were  throughout  the  early  periods 
of  the  Atrium’s  history  regarded  as  the  aloe .4  Their  position  is,  however, 
unusual.  Beyond  the  ala  on  the  east  is  a  smaller  room,5 6  which  is  entered 
from  the  court  by  a  door  2.50  meters  wide.  On  either  side  of  this  room 
there  were  doors  3  meters  wide  and  3.70  meters  high.  Still  further  to  the 
east  was  another  roomfi  5.10  meters  long,  which  was  entered  from  a  narrow 
corridor  or  directly  from  the  garden.  Whether  there  were  other  rooms 
beyond  this,  opening  upon  the  garden,  it  is  not  possible  to  determine.  At 
the  east  end  of  the  court,  extending  into  the  garden,  was  a  single  room,7 
which  resembles  in  its  position  the  tabhnum  of  the  Graeco-Roman  house. 
It  is  possible  that  this  room8  was  open  towards  both  the  atrium  and  the 
garden,  though  no  proof  exists,  since  the  walls  have  been  in  large  part 
destroyed.  The  garden,  which  was  a  part  of  the  earlier  lucus  Vesta,  occupied 
the  remaining  part  of  the  Atrium  on  the  east  Concerning  the  rooms  on  the 
west  no  data  are  now  obtainable.  The  existence  of  a  wall  on  the  west  of  the 
court  may,  however,  be  assumed  as  certain.  The  position  suggested  in 
the  plan  is  that  of  the  later  wall,  which  is  the  same  distance,  within  a  few 
centimeters,  from  the  tablinum  as  the  corresponding  wall  on  the  east  of 
the  court.  Next  to  the  temple  there  were  doubtless,  as  later,  rooms  for  the 
use  of  the  cult. 

With  the  exception  of  the  tablinum  and  ala  on  the  south,  the  purpose  of 
the  various  rooms  is  not  clear.  The  rooms  adjoining  the  entrance  on  the 
north  were,  probably,  more  public  in  their  character.  It  is  probable  that 
the  kitchen  and  the  rooms  connected  with  it  were  in  the  more  remote  part 
of  the  house  east  of  the  tablinum.  The  sleeping  rooms  were  doubtless,  as 
later,  in  the  upper  story,  if  there  was  one. 

The  small  rooms,  or  shops,  on  the  north,9  which  are  a  part  structurally 
of  the  building,  are  eleven  at  least  in  number,  exclusive  of  the  one10  which 
was  used  as  an  entrance  vestibule  to  the  Atrium.  They  are  4.50  meters 
long  and  correspond  in  width  to  the  adjoining  rooms  in  the  Atrium.  The 
front  wall  of  these  shops,  as  well  as  the  corresponding  wall  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  street,  has  been,  as  stated  above,  destroyed  to  its  foundations.11 
Of  the  travertine  posts  in  front  of  the  shops  portions  of  but  two  remain. 


1  Plan  A,  12. 

2  Plan  A,  14. 

3  See  plan  D,  42,  and  p.  33. 

4  There  are  no  clearly  defined  alee  elsewhere.  The 

rooms  suggested  must,  therefore,  be  ac¬ 
cepted  as  such. 

6  Plan  A,  11.  This  room  is  3.50  meters  wide. 

8  Plan  A,  10. 

7  Plan  A,  d. 


8  It  is  possible  that  this  room  and  the  walls  adjoin¬ 
ing  it  on  either  side  are  to  be  assigned  to 
the  next  period.  Cf.  p.  17,  n.  3. 

0  Plan  A,  m-m. 

10Plan  A,  room  adjoining  3. 

UA  full  discussion  of  these  concrete  foundations, 
which  rise  in  certain  parts  more  than  a 
meter  above  the  republican  level,  will  be 
presented  by  the  writer  at  a  later  time. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FIRST  PERIOD. 


19 


With  only  a  few  exceptions,  however,  they  can  be  restored  from  the  impression 
left  in  the  concrete  of  the  later  pillars,  which  were  built  in  front  of  them. 


The  Republican  Altar:  The  ancient  altar,1  the  remains  of  which  are  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  room  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  Atrium,  was  at  this 
time  destroyed.  This  altar  is  made  of  ashes  and  sacrificial  material  and  was 
surrounded  by  a  narrow  gutter.  At  a  very  early  period  it  stood  probably 
inside  a  separate  precinct,  or  templum,  which  was  inclosed  by  a  wall.  At  a 
somewhat  later  period,  possibly  at  the  time  of  the  abandonment  of  the  altar 
as  a  place  of  sacrifice,  a  second  wall  of  opus  quadrature i2  was  built  inside  the 
precinct  wall  for  the  better  protection  of  the  altar  itself.  Of  this  inner  wall 
and  the  altar  inclosed  by  it  but  little  now  remains.3 


Architectural  Details  and  Construction:  The  height  of  the  rooms  can  not 
be  ascertained.  That  they  were  lofty  may  be  assumed  from  the  thickness  of 
the  walls,  and  the  height  of  the  doors  which  remain.  There  are  no  pavements 
left  in  any  of  the  rooms,  and  there  is  no  evidence  of  the  use  of  hypocausts, 
as  in  the  later  Atria.  All  traces  of  decoration  have  disappeared,  with  the 
exception  of  a  small  bit  of  fresco  in  one  room.  The  large  quantity  of  rare 
marbles,  however,  which  have  been  broken  in  pieces  for  use  as  filling  in  the 
concrete  foundations  of  the  next  period,4  points  to  their  extensive  use  as 
decoration  in  the  earlier  building.  There  are  no  stairs  and  no  traces  remain¬ 
ing  of  an  upper  story,  though  it  is  probable  that  one  existed.5  There  is 
beneath  the  whole  Atrium  an  intricate  network  of  sewers.6  No  attempt  has 
been  made  to  describe  these,  since  the  data  available  are  insufficient. 

In  methods  of  construction  as  well  as  in  the  materials  used,  the  Atrium 
is  perfectly  in  agreement  with  the  other  buildings  of  the  period  of  Nero. 
The  walls  are  throughout  of  concrete  faced  with  brick.7  The  outer  walls 
are  89  centimeters8  thick.  The  inner  walls  on  the  south,  where,  because  of 
the  width  of  the  rooms,  the  vaulting  supported  by  them  was  heavier,  are  of 
the  same  thickness.  The  inner  walls  on  the  north  are  but  74  centimeters,9 
corresponding  to  those  of  the  shops  in  their  rear.  Bonding-courses  of  tegulce 
bipedales10  are  not  found  in  any  of  the  walls  on  the  north.  They  have  been 


1  Plan  A,  b;  plate  iv,  fig.  2.  The  divinity  to  whom 

the  altar  was  dedicated  is  unknown.  The 
shrine  of  Aius  Locutius  lay  within  the  lucus 
Vest#.  Huelsen,  from  the  description  of  its 
position  given  by  Cicero  (de  Div.,  I,  45, 101) 
locates  it  however  much  further  to  the  west 
along  the  Nova  Via.  The  worship  of  the 
divinity  to  whom  the  altar  belonged  was 
probably  continued,  since  in  the  wall  be¬ 
hind  there  is  found  a  niche  for  a  statue. 

2  The  inner  wall  is  of  a  much  later  period  than  the 

altar  itself. 

3  See  plan  A,  b. 

4  See  p.  28. 


6  Professor  Huelsen  has  suggested  that  walls  of 

such  thickness  would  not  have  been  built 
had  there  been  no  upper  story  to  support. 
G  Under  the  careful  direction  of  Commendatore 
Boni,  a  number  of  the  sewers  have  been 
restored  to  their  original  use. 

7  The  use  of  the  term  brick-walls  should  be  avoided, 

since  none  existed  in  Rome. 

8  This  measurement,  which  is  equal  to  3  Roman 

feet,  is  very  common  in  walls  of  this 
period  and  later. 

“Another  common  measurement,  which  is  equal  to 
2.5  Roman  feet. 

10See  p.  3,  n.  4. 


20 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST.®. 


used  occasionally,  however,  in  certain  of  the  walls  on  the  opposite  side.1 
The  upper  portion  of  these  walls  is,  however,  in  all  probability,  a  restoration 
of  the  succeeding  period.  With  the  rise  of  the  new  city  a  distinct  change 
takes  place  in  the  type  of  brick-facing  used  for  concrete  structures.  The 
courses  of  brick,  which  are  3.75  to  4.25  centimeters  wide,  show  much  less 
variation  in  the  individual  walls.  The  layers  of  mortar  also,  which  are  1.25 
to  2  centimeters  thick,  become  more  regular.  The  change,  or  rather  develop¬ 
ment,  is  especially  noticeable  in  the  character  of  the  bricks  themselves. 
The  use  of  broken  tiles  for  bricks,  which  was  the  most  marked  characteristic 
of  the  preceding  period,  was  abandoned,2  and  the  bricks  assumed  the  more 
regular  triangular  shape.  The  new  bricks  are  of  a  much  coarser  quality 
than  the  tile-bricks  and  are  much  looser  in  texture,  though  they  are  well 
burned.  In  color  they  vary  from  yellow  to  yellow-red.  The  concrete,  also, 
is  of  a  coarser  composition,  though  otherwise  of  a  good  quality.  The  filling 
is  in  large  part  of  tufa  and  travertine  with  but  a  small  proportion  of  broken 
brick  and  marble.  Both  mortar  and  concrete  are  marked  by  their  unusual 
gray  tone,  which  arises  from  the  almost  entire  absence  in  their  composition 
of  red  pozzolana.3 


1  The  walls  in  which  the  bonding-courses  appear 

most  frequently  are  those  east  of  the  tabli- 
num.  Bonding-courses  appear  sporadically 
in  this  period,  but  their  use  is  not  common 
until  the  time  of  the  Flavians. 

2  At  several  later  periods  they  are  again  used  in 

considerable  quantities. 


3  In  the  description  of  the  modes  of  construction 
and  materials  used  in  the  different  periods, 
all  minor  details  have  been  omitted  except 
such  as  are  necessary  for  the  differentiation 
between  the  various  periods.  The  whole 
subject  will  be  treated  fully  by  the  writer 
at  a  later  time. 


IV. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  SECOND  PERIOD. 

General  Description:  A  short  time  only  after  the  completion  of  the  new 
Atrium  by  Nero,  a  considerable  part  of  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  con¬ 
sequence  of  this  partial  destruction  many  of  the  walls  of  the  building  were 
rebuilt  from  the  foundations  and  extensive  changes  were  made  in  its  general 
plan.1  From  the  walls  which  remain  it  is  evident  that  the  western  part  of 
the  structure  suffered  most  severely.  The  exact  period  of  the  restoration  of 
the  walls,  on  the  south  side  of  the  building,  east  of  the  tablinum2  is  uncer¬ 
tain.  The  wall  west  of  the  tablinum  was,  however,  at  this  time  rebuilt  from 
about  3  meters  above  the  ground.3  On  the  north  side  the  wall  next  to  the 
court4  and  the  division  walls  between  the  rooms,5 6  with  the  exception  of 
one,  were  destroyed  to  the  level  of  the  later  pavement.  The  back  wall 
of  the  rooms,0  on  the  contrary,  and  the  walls  of  the  shops  beyond7  were 
left  untouched,  at  least  to  a  considerable  distance  above  the  ground.  It 
is  possible,  therefore,  that  the  destruction  of  the  other  walls8  on  this  side 
was  partly  due  to  the  changes  in  the  general  plan  of  the  building,  which 
took  place  at  this  time.  The  rooms  on  the  northeast  beyond  the  court9 
were  not,  so  far  as  can  now  be  ascertained,  affected  by  these  changes.  It 
is  probable,  therefore,  that  the  fire  did  not  extend  so  far  in  this  direction. 
Many  pieces  of  marble  showing  traces  of  fire  were  found,  in  the  course  of 
the  excavations,  in  and  near  the  pozzi  at  this  end  of  the  court.  These  may 
have  been,  however,  from  some  more  remote  part  of  the  building  or  have 
been  injured  in  some  later  fire.10  The  rooms  on  the  west11  were,  it  is  probable, 
wholly  destroyed,  since  the  walls  are  rebuilt  from  the  foundations.12  Whether 
the  foundations  themselves  belong  to  this  or  to  the  preceding  period  can  not 
be  determined,  except  in  a  few  cases,  since  they  are  for  the  most  part  con¬ 
cealed  by  later  structures.  The  changes  in  plan  on  the  north  side  of  the 
building  suggest,  however,  a  corresponding  change  in  the  arrangement  on 
this  side  also.  New  foundations  would  in  that  case  have  been  required. 


1  Plan  B.  Cf.  plan  A. 

2  Plan  B,  13. 

3  The  line  is  plainly  marked  by  the  change  in 

brickwork. 

4  Cf.  plans  A  and  B. 

s  Plan  A,  1-7. 

6  Cf.  plans  A  and  B. 

7  Plan  B,  m—m. 

8  The  wall  next  to  the  court  and  the  division  walls 

between  the  rooms. 


9  Plan  B,  8-9. 

10See  p.  43. 

“Plan  B,  15-28.  The  arch  in  which  was  found  a 
brick-stamp  of  the  second  century  mentioned 
by  Huelsen  ( Roem .  Mitth.,  1889,  p.  246,  n.) 
may  very  well  have  belonged  to  a  later  restor¬ 
ation. 

l2The  outer  wall  on  the  west,  though  in  large  part 
restored  at  this  time,  was  not  wholly  de¬ 
stroyed  . 


21 


22 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTiE. 


In  size  and  extent  the  Atrium  remained  unchanged,1  except  on  the  side 
towards  the  temple,  where  a  small  portion  of  the  sacred  area  was  included  in 
the  court.  The  level  was  raised  30  to  50  centimeters  above  that  of  the  pre¬ 
ceding  period,  that  is  97  to  100  centimeters  above  that  of  the  republican 
building.2  The  rooms  on  the  southwest3  may  have  been,  as  later,  30  centi¬ 
meters  higher  than  this.  The  new  rooms  on  the  north4  were  on  the  same 
level  as  the  outer  corridor  upon  which  they  opened.5  The  rooms  beyond 
the  Atrium  on  the  west,6  which  had  no  direct  connection  with  the  other  parts 
of  the  building,  were  at  least  30  centimeters  below  its  level,  being  but  70 
centimeters  above  that  of  the  republican  period. 

Plan  and  Arrangement  of  the  Interior:  The  differentiation  of  the  new 
walls  of  the  Atrium  from  those  of  the  preceding  period  is  not  difficult,  since 
they  are  not  only  dissimilar  in  their  mode  of  construction,  but  are  structurally 
independent.  The  determination  of  the  relation  which  these  new  walls  bear 
to  each  other  is  no  less  easy.  That  they  are  parts  of  a  single  structure  is 
evident  from  their  agreement  in  methods  of  construction  as  well  as  from 
their  conformity  to  a  general  architectural  plan.  The  unity  which  exists 
among  them  is,  however,  most  clearly  shown  by  the  structural  continuity 
by  which  they  are  marked.7  The  general  level  is  consistent  and  that  of  the 
foundations  is  uniform  throughout. 

In  general  plan  the  Atrium  of  the  second  period  was  a  development 
rather  than  a  mere  restoration  of  that  of  Nero.  The  central  court,  or  atrium, 
did  not  probably  differ  in  length  from  that  of  the  preceding  period;  its 
width  was,  however,  somewhat  increased  by  the  pushing  back  of  the  wall 
on  the  north.  Since  the  new  wall  varied  slightly  in  direction  from  the  older 
one,  a  difference  arose  in  the  width  of  the  court  at  the  two  ends,  which 
became  much  more  marked  after  the  extension  of  the  court  to  the  east.8 
On  all  sides  of  the  new  court  there  was  added  a  colonnade,  or  portico,  of 
about  4  meters  in  width.9  Auer,10  who  maintained  that  the  colonnade 
consisted  of  but  one  story,  in  order  to  reconcile  the  height11  of  the  columns, 
which  can  not  have  exceeded  5  or  6  meters,  with  that  of  the  windows,  held 
that  the  portico  was  covered  by  a  slanting  roof,  which  rested  upon  the 
entablature  above  the  columns  and  was  attached  to  the  opposite  wall  below 


1Cf.  plans  A  and  B. 

2  The  level  of  the  colonnade  is  taken  as  the  standard 

for  the  period.  See  plate  n,  fig.  i;  wall  on 
the  right. 

3  Plan  B,  14-23. 

4  Plan  B,  2-7. 

6  If  the  hypocausts  which  remain  in  several  of  the 
rooms  are  of  a  later  period,  the  level  of  the 
rooms  was  a  half-meter  lower  than  that  of 
the  corridor.  It  is  more  probable,  however, 
that  the  hypocausts  were  built  at  the  same 
time  as  the  rooms. 

6  Plan  B,  24-28. 


7  This  structural  continuity  is  most  noticeable  on 

the  southwest.  It  exists,  however,  through¬ 
out. 

8  See  p.  36. 

B  The  colonnade  on  the  north  and  east  is  3.60 
meters  wide  and  on  the  west  3.90  meters; 
on  the  south  it  varies  from  4  to  4.15  meters. 
The  foundation  wall  of  the  colonnade  at 
the  east  end  of  the  court  is  seen  below  the 
foundation  of  the  octagonal  structure  on  the 
left  in  plate  iv,  fig.  1. 

10Auer,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  4. 

11  See  p.  23,  n.  2. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  SECOND  PERIOD. 


23 


the  windows  of  the  second  story.  It  is  more  probable  that  the  colonnade 
was  composed  of  two  rows  of  columns,1  one  above  the  other,  the  lower  one 
of  which  was  from  5  to  6  meters  in  height2  and  the  upper  somewhat  less. 
There  was  no  upper  floor  corresponding  to  the  intermediate  entablature,3 
since  the  columns  of  the  lower  arcade  were  not  sufficiently  high  to  carry 
it  to  a  level  above  the  windows  of  the  lower  story.  The  floor  would,  more¬ 
over,  have  cut  off  the  light  almost  wholly  from  the  inner  corridor.  There 
were  in  each  story  thirty-two  columns.4  The  travertine  foundations  on 
which  the  bases  of  these  rested  have  been  in  large  part  preserved.  The 
intercolumnar  spaces  vary  slightly,  increasing  towards  the  east  of  the  atrium 
from  3.30  to  3.43  meters.  The  variation  is,  however,  not  regular.5 *  In  the 
center  of  the  court  was  a  basin8  into  which  steps  descended  from  either  end. 
The  water  contained  in  this  basin  was  for  the  ordinary  uses  of  the  house¬ 
hold.7  That  designed  for  use  in  the  rites  connected  with  the  temple  worship 
was  kept  in  the  rooms  set  aside  for  the  cult.8  The  entrance  into  the  Atrium 
was  from  the  area  in  front  of  the  temple.  The  door  which  had  in  the  pre¬ 
ceding  period  led  directly  from  the  street  on  the  north  was  closed  by  ofte 
of  the  newer  walls.9  Between  the  posts  of  the  new  door  and  the  columns 
opposite  there  was,  on  either  side,  a  single  column,  which  supported  possibly 
a  vaulted  vestibule.  Beyond  the  main  entrance  was  a  smaller  door  which 
led  directly  into  the  sacred  precinct  of  the  temple.10  This  was  closed  later 
by  the  erection  of  the  adicula.11 

The  rooms  on  the  south  belonging  to  the  preceding  period12  were  not 
altered  at  this  time,  except  by  the  addition  possibly  of  the  small  posts  in 
front  of  the  ala,13  by  which  these  rooms  were  separated  a  trifle  more  from 
the  corridor  outside.  The  remaining  rooms,  on  the  north  and  west,  may  be 
divided  into  two  groups.14  The  group  on  the  north,  which  replaced  the 
earlier  rooms  opening  directly  upon  the  court,  consisted  mainly  of  two  large 
rooms15  united  by  a  narrow  corridor,18  from  which  opened  three  or  possibly 


1  Jordan,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  37. 

2  The  height  of  the  columns  has  been  estimated 

from  the  size  of  the  travertine  blocks  on 
which  their  bases  rested.  The  marble  bases 
and  columns  which  have  been  found  belong 
to  a  much  later  period.  They  do  not,  how¬ 
ever,  differ  materially,  in  all  probability, 
from  those  of  the  earlier  colonnade. 

5  There  was  a  similar  col  onnade  in  the  building  of 
Eumachia  at  Pompeii  (Mau-Kxlsey,  Pom¬ 
peii,  113-114). 

4  The  number  of  columns  at  the  sides  of  the  colon¬ 

nade  is  twelve,  that  at  the  ends,  six.  Jordan 
(/.  e.)  holds,  though  in  my  opinion  without 
sufficient  reason,  that  the  occurrence  of  the 
number  six  is  not  without  significance. 

5  Schulze  (Jordan,  l.  c.)  considers  the  variance  due 

to  regard  for  perspective.  The  size  of  the 

earlier  Atrium  at  least  is  not  such  as  to 

warrant  this  conclusion.  See  pp.  43-44  for 

further  discussion. 


6  Plan  B,  O.  The  basin  was  14  meters  long,  4 

meters  wide  and  5  deep.  The  upper  part 
has  been  restored. 

7  No  water  could  be  used  for  the  sacred  rites  except 

such  as  had  been  brought  fresh  from  foun¬ 
tains  or  running  streams  in  vessels  specially 
prescribed  for  the  purpose.  See  p.  27.  The 
basin,  on  the  other  hand,  was  supplied  with 
water  drawn  from  ordinary  sources  and 
conducted  into  the  Atrium  through  lead 
pipes. 

8  Plan  B,  24-27. 

9  Plan  B.  The  wall  between  2  and  4. 

10See  plan  B.  This  inclosure  was  not  entered  by 
the  public. 

"Plan  C,  E. 

“Plan  B,  10-15. 

“Plan  B,  12  and  14. 

“Plan  B,  1-7;  15-28. 

“Plan  B,  2  and  7. 

16Plan  B,  3. 


24 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTiE. 


four  smaller  rooms.1  The  walls  of  the  newer  rooms  were  not  at  right  angles 
to  the  older  wall  in  their  rear,  to  which  they  were  attached;  this  caused  a 
slight  irregularity  in  the  shape  of  the  larger  rooms  at  either  end.  The  first 
room  on  the  north2  remained  unchanged,  except  that  its  length  was  some¬ 
what  lessened  by  the  change  in  position  of  the  front  wall.  The  room  adjoin¬ 
ing  it,3  which  is  8.30  meters  long,  was  on  the  contrary  widened  to  7.30 
meters.  The  width  of  the  corresponding  room  on  the  east  can  not  now  be 
determined.  The  corridor  by  which  these  rooms  were  united  is  3  meters 
in  width.  The  small  rooms4  which  open  upon  it  are  only  4.59  meters 
long.  The  doors  leading  from  the  corridor  into  the  smaller  rooms,  as 
well  as  those  by  which  the  rooms  were  united  to  the  colonnade  outside, 
can  not  be  restored,  since  the  walls  are  destroyed  almost  to  the  founda¬ 
tions.  No  change  took  place  in  the  rooms  situated  beyond  the  court  and 
opening  upon  the  garden.5  The  group  of  rooms  on  the  west  and  south¬ 
west6  is  much  larger  than  that  just  described.  On  the  south,  next  to  the  ala 
on  the  west  of  the  tablinum,  is  a  room7  4.14  meters  wide,  which  is  to  be  con¬ 
nected  rather  with  the  older  rooms  adjoining  it  on  the  east  than  with  the 
newer  ones  on  the  west.  Beyond  this  room,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
Atrium,  are  a  number  of  rooms,  which,  though  connected  structurally  with 
the  rest  of  the  building,  seem  from  their  position  and  arrangement  to  form 
a  distinct  group  by  themselves.  The  center  of  this  group  was  a  large  room,8 
at  the  west  end  of  which  was  an  apse.  On  the  south  were  three  smaller 
rooms,9  a  little  higher  in  level  than  the  larger  one  and  connected  with  it 
by  wide  arches.  Next  to  these  rooms  on  the  north  is  a  stairway,10  which  gave 
direct  access  to  them  from  the  clivus,  or  ramp,  leading  to  the  Palatine. 
Beyond  the  stairs  is  a  narrow  corridor,11  resembling  that  on  the  north,  out  of 
which  opened  a  room12  5.30  meters  long  and  4.71  wide.  At  the  northern 
end  of  the  corridor  is  a  larger  room13  which  may  have  opened  directly  upon 
the  colonnade.14  It  is  uncertain  whether  the  rooms  just  mentioned  formed 
a  part  of  the  group  of  which  the  large  room  was  the  center  or  were  con¬ 
nected  with  the  Atrium  proper.  On  the  west  of  these  rooms  and  wholly 
distinct  from  them  is  a  long  hall,15  divided  into  three  closely  connected  rooms 
by  low  archways.16  At  the  further  end  of  this  hall  is  a  vaulted  storeroom,17 


1  Plan  B,  4-6  and  plate  v,  fig.  2. 

2  Plan  B,  i . 

3  Plan  B,  2. 

4  Plan  B,  4-6.  These  rooms  are  5.13,  2.95  and 

3.38  meters  wide. 

5  Plan  B,  8-9.  The  wall  in  front  of  the  new  rooms 

is  not  continued  beyond  the  division  wall 
between  rooms  7  and  8,  which  is  of  the  pre¬ 
ceding  period. 

6  Plan  B,  15-28. 

7  Plan  B,  15. 

8  Plan  B,  19.  This  room,  which  was  divided  into 

two  unequal  parts,  was  12.64  meters  long 

and  6.09  meters  wide. 


9  Plan  B,  16-18.  The  rooms  were  4  meters  long 
and  over  3.50  meters  wide. 

10Plan  B,  20. 

11  Plan  B,  21. 

12Plan  B,  22. 

I3Plan  B,  23.  This  room  is  8.90  by  7. 40  meters  in 
size. 

14There  are  remains  of  a  window  opening  upon  the 
colonnade  at  a  later  period. 

15Plan  B,  25-27,  and  plate  v,  fig.  1. 

16The  walls  by  which  the  arches  have  been  filled 
in  may  be  of  the  same  period;  it  is  more 
probable,  however,  that  they  were  built  a 
little  later. 

17Plan  B,  24. 


fra 


PLATE  V, 


E.  B.  V.  D. 

Fig.  2.  The  North  Side  of  the  Atrium. 


Fig.  1.  The  Rooms  for  the  Use  of  the  Cult. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  SECOND  PERIOD. 


25 


in  which  were  found  many  broken  amphorae  and  other  vessels.1  The  only 
entrance  to  these  rooms  was  from  the  temple  precinct.2 

No  change  took  place  in  the  shops  on  the  north,  except  that  by  the  closing 
of  the  door  into  the  Atrium3  one  was  added  to  their  number.  It  is  possible 
that  the  shops  along  the  Nova  Via4  were  added  at  this  time,  but  the  scanty 
remains  belong  to  a  later  period. 


The  Sacellum  Larum:  The  rooms  on  the  southwest,5 *  though  structurally  a 
part  of  the  building,  formed,  as  has  been  said,  a  distinct  group  by  them¬ 
selves.  The  stairway  on  the  west,  by  which  the  Atrium  was  connected 
with  the  ramp  leading  to  the  Palatine,  though  affording  admission  to  the 
other  parts  of  the  building,  was  designed  especially  to  give  direct  access  to 
these  rooms.  The  communication  with  the  outer  world,  especially  with  the 
Palatine,  was  at  a  later  time  made  still  more  easy  by  the  erection  of  a  second 
stairway,0  by  which  the  court  was  connected  directly  with  the  Nova  Via.  At 
the  further  end  of  the  court  was  a  large  apse.  In  the  wall  at  the  end  of 
the  court  toward  the  east,  by  the  building  of  which  the  rooms  were  still 
further  cut  off  from  the  Atrium,  there  were  added  also  three  niches  for 
statues.7  The  group  of  rooms  must,  therefore,  have  had  a  religious  purpose8 
and  have  been  designed  for  some  cult  over  which  the  Vestals  had  special, 
though  not  exclusive,  oversight.  The  remoteness  of  the  rooms  from  the 
temple  and  their  lack  of  any  direct  communication  with  it,  as  well  as  the 
freedom  of  intercourse  with  the  outer  world  indicated  by  the  stairways,  for¬ 
bid  the  identification  of  this  cult  with  that  of  Vesta  and  the  Penates,  the 
center  of  which  was  the  temple.  A  close  connection,  however,  must  have 
existed  between  them.  Of  the  various  cults  connected  with,  though  distinct 
from,  that  of  Vesta  and  the  Penates,  the  most  nearly  allied  is  that  of  the 
Lares  Publici.  Their  shrine,  which  was  known  as  the  Sacellum  Larum, 
in  distinction  from  the  cedes  Larum,  was  recognized  by  the  Romans  as  one 
of  the  determinative  points  in  the  line  of  the  Pomerium  of  the  Palatine  city.9 
It  must  have  been  situated,  therefore,  within  a  short  distance  of  this  corner 
of  the  Atrium,  since  in  this  vicinity  the  line  of  the  Pomerium,  which  on  the 
north  followed  in  general  the  course  of  the  later  Nova  Via,  turns  abruptly 
toward  the  west.  It  has  seemed  to  me  probable,  therefore,  that  in  this  group 
of  rooms,  under  the  same  roof  with,  though  distinct  from,  the  shrine  of  the 
other  gods  of  the  state  hearth,  is  to  be  found  the  hitherto  unplaced  Sacellum 
Larum. 


1  Bull,  comun.,  xxxi,  70L  Huelsen-Carter,  Roman 

Forum,  2i6f. 

2  The  door  connecting  these  rooms  with  the  Atrium 

is  not  original. 

3  Plan  A,  n. 

*  Plan  C,  m"'. 

6  Plan  B,  16-19. 

0  Plan  E,  44. 

7  See  plan  E,  47. 


8  The  so-called  libation-bowl  in  the  pavement  of  the 
court  had  no  connection  with  religious  rites, 
for  which  it  was  wholly  inappropriate  on 
account  of  both  its  size  and  construction. 
It  was  probably,  as  Professor  Mau  has 
suggested,  connected  with  the  cleaning  of 
the  pavement,  since  it  leads  directly  into 
the  sewer  below. 

8  Tac.,  Ann.,  xn,  24.  Cf.  Richter,  Top.,  plate  2. 


26 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTiE. 


The  Cult  Rooms:  The  presence  in  the  rooms  on  the  west1  of  certain 
structures  held  to  be  ovens,2  as  well  as  of  a  number  of  amphorae  and  frag¬ 
ments  of  other  vessels,3  has  led  to  the  almost  universal  acceptance  of  these 
rooms  as  the  private  kitchen  and  storerooms  of  the  Atrium.  That  they 
were  not  intended  for  such  a  purpose  is,  however,  clear  from  the  primitive 
character  of  the  vessels  found  and  the  noticeable  absence  of  any  of  the  more 
common  appliances  for  cooking,4  as  well  as  from  the  existence  of  a  regularly 
appointed  kitchen5 6  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  Atrium.  It  is  evident,  more¬ 
over,  from  the  complete  isolation  of  the  rooms  and  from  their  lack  of  any 
means  of  communication8  with  the  other  parts  of  the  building,  that  they 
were  not  even  a  part  of  the  Atrium  but  were  intentionally  separated  from 
it.  Their  proximity  to  and  direct  communication  with  the  temple  precinct, 
on  the  other  hand,  make  it  certain  that  they  were  instead  connected  with 
the  temple  and  belonged  to  it.  From  the  unusual  arrangement  of  the  rooms 
themselves  and  the  peculiar  character  of  their  contents7  it  is  evident  that  they 
were  designed  for  the  special  use  of  the  cult  and  for  the  storing  of  the  instru- 
mentum8  belonging  to  it.  In  addition  to  the  instrumentum  there  were  no 
doubt  preserved  in  these  rooms  such  of  the  pignora  imperii 9  as  could  not 
conveniently  be  kept  in  the  temple  itself.  It  is  probable  that  the  documents 
of  state  and  the  other  articles  of  value  which  were  entrusted  to  the  Vestals  for 
safekeeping  were  kept  here  rather  than  in  the  private  rooms  of  the  Atrium. 
Of  the  objects  found  in  the  rooms  the  pointed  amphorae,  which  are  of  the 
primitive  type  prescribed  for  the  use  of  the  cult,10  were  for  the  carrying  of 
the  water  used  in  the  sacred  rites  and  in  the  cleansing  of  the  temple.  The 
smaller  vessels,  of  which  numerous  fragments  have  been  found,  were  for 
the  use  of  the  Vestals  in  the  preparation  of  the  sacred  cakes  and  of  the  other 
materials  for  sacrifice  and  purification  over  which  they  had  charge.11  In 
one  of  these  vessels  there  are  still  preserved  the  remains  of  pastry.12  The 
appliances  for  the  grinding  of  the  sacred  meal13  and  for  the  preparation  of 
the  muries 13  were  also  of  the  simplest  kind  and  have  been  either  carried 
away  or  destroyed.  In  one  of  the  rooms14  is  a  basin  of  peculiar  construction. 
It  consists  of  a  square  structure  3.1 1  meters  long  and  a  meter  wide,  which, 


1  Plan  B,  24-27. 

2  See  p.  44. 

3  A  number  of  these  are  still  preserved  in  the  store¬ 

room  in  which  they  were  found. 

4  There  are  no  traces  of  stoves  or  of  any  of  the 

ordinary  receptacles  for  water. 

6  The  kitchen  now  seen  belongs  to  a  later  period. 

The  earlier  one  must  have  been,  however, 
in  the  same  part  of  the  Atrium,  where  the 
more  private  life  of  the  household  was 
centered. 

•  Th  '  door  leading  from  the  Atrium  into  these 
rooms  is  not  original. 

7  Especially  the  rude  pottery  and  the  basin  de¬ 

scribed  below. 


8  For  the  instrumentum  of  the  temple,  see  Wissowa, 

Religion  und  Kultus,  406L 

9  The  size  and  arrangement  of  the  temple  make  it 

improbable  that  the  less  important  sacra 
were  kept  there. 

10A  number  of  these  are  still  to  be  seen  in  the  room 
in  which  they  were  found  (plan  B,  24). 
"For  the  principal  duties  of  the  Vestals  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  cult,  see  Wissowa,  I.  c.,  143. 
12Boni  (Vaglieri,  Scavi  Recenti  nel  Foro  Romano, 
'll,  n.  1)  recognizes  in  this  the  strues  men¬ 
tioned  by  Festus  (p.  310,  n.). 

13Wissowa,  /.  c. 

14Plan  B,  27. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  SECOND  PERIOD. 


27 


though  inclosed  regularly  at  both  ends  by  wails,  is  without  either  front  or 
back.1  The  bottom  of  the  basin,  which  like  the  ends  was  lined  with  opus 
signinum,  slopes  noticeably  towards  the  back,  where  it  drains  directly  into 
the  sewer  below.  This  basin,  or  rather  drainage  sink,  was  probably  for 
the  washing  of  the  vessels  used  in  the  temple  service,  which  were  cleansed 
by  pouring  water  over  them  directly  from  the  amphorae  in  which  it  had  been 
brought.2  By  this  method  the  water  as  well  as  the  basin  was  kept  free  from 
all  impurities,  which  were  carried  immediately  into  the  sewer  behind.  The 
room3  or  rooms  next  to  the  temple  area  were  probably  for  the  servi  public i 
attached  to  the  temple. 


Architectural  Details  and  Construction:  The  height  of  the  various  rooms 
can  not  be  determined.  In  the  central  court  as  well  as  in  the  corridor  sur¬ 


rounding  it  traces  of  the  pavement  of  several  periods  still  remain.  The 
earliest  of  these,  which  is  of  opus  spicatum,  is,  however,  not  older  than  the 
second  century.  No  pavements  have  been  preserved  in  the  rooms  on  the 
north  or  on  the  south.  In  the  group  of  rooms  on  the  west  and  southwest4 
the  larger  room  and  the  smaller  ones  adjoining  it  are  paved  with  white  and 
black  mosaic.  The  pavement  in  the  smaller  rooms  is  probably  original, 
since  above  it  have  been  found  remains  of  a  pavement  of  opus  sectile  of  the 
style  popular  in  the  time  of  Hadrian.5 *  The  pavement  in  the  larger  room 
belongs  probably  to  a  later  period.®  In  the  rooms  on  the  north7  hypocausts, 
or  at  least  double  floors,8  were  built.  In  several  of  the  rooms  these  have  been 
preserved.  Hypocausts  of  this  period  remain  also  in  the  smaller  rooms  on 
the  southwest.  That  in  the  larger  room  on  the  west  was  inserted  at  a  later 
time.  In  one  of  the  rooms  on  the  north  remains  of  a  stairway  have  been 
found.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  a  second  story  extended  over  the  whole 
house,  with  the  exception  possibly  of  the  rooms  on  the  southwest,9  though  no 
traces  of  it  are  left.  But  little  change  took  place,  probably,  in  the  purpose 
to  which  the  various  rooms  of  the  Atrium  were  set  apart.  The  sleeping- 
rooms  were  without  doubt  transferred  to  the  upper  story,  if  this  had  not 
already  been  done  in  the  preceding  period. 

As  in  the  other  buildings  of  the  period  of  Domitian,10  the  walls  are  clearly 
distinguishable  from  those  of  the  preceding  period,  both  by  their  methods  of 
construction  and  by  the  materials  used.  The  outer  walls,  especially  those  on 
the  southwest,  while  not  free  from  restoration,  have  in  no  case  been  rebuilt 


1  On  account  of  the  lowering  of  the  level  of  the 
room  by  the  removal  of  the  ancient  pave¬ 
ment,  the  basin  at  present  resembles  a  low 
platform. 

J See  p.  23, n.  7. 

3  Plan  B,  28. 

1  Plan  B,  16-23. 

5  See  p.  33. 

0  The  pavement  is  of  a  much  coarser  type  than 
that  in  the  adjoining  rooms. 

7  Plan  B,  2-7. 


8  Traces  of  double  floors  remain  in  several  of  the 
newer  rooms.  In  one  of  these  there  is  also 
evidence  of  the  presence  of  fire.  Professor 
Mau  holds  that  the  use  of  such  floors  is  not 
sufficient  proof  of  the  existence  of  hypocausts. 

8  The  character  of  the  rooms  makes  the.  existence 
of  a  second  story  improbable. 

IBOf  the  buildings  of  Domitian,  those  of  especial 
interest  are  the  Dornus  Augustana  and  the 
so-called  Stadium  on  the  Palatine,  the 
temple  of  Augustus,  and  the  villa  at  Albano. 


28 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST^. 


from  the  foundations.  Their  width,  therefore,  remains  the  same  as  in  the 
preceding  period.  The  wall  on  the  north  of  the  court  also  is  at  the  west  end 
89  centimeters  wide,  though  further  towards  the  east,  a  few  courses  above  the 
foundation,  it  has  been  reduced  to  60.  The  walls  on  the  west  are,  with  one 
exception,  60  centimeters,  although  those  on  the  north  are  75,  as  were  the 
older  ones.  The  walls  in  which  are  set  the  travertine  bases  for  the  columns 
are  89  centimeters.  Bonding-courses,  which  are  found  only  sporadically, 
if  at  all,  in  the  earlier  walls,  appear  regularly  in  those  of  this  period.  They 
are  especially  noticeable  in  the  rooms  on  the  southwest,  where  the  tegulcc 
bipedales  of  which  they  are  made  are  4.50  to  5  centimeters  thick  and  of  a 
dark-red  color.  Since  the  walls  on  the  north  have  been  almost  wholly  rebuilt, 
only  one  bonding-course  remains ;  upon  the  shelf1  formed  by  this  rests  the 
lower  floor  of  the  hypocausts.  The  courses  of  brick  measure  from  3.75  to 
4.25  centimeters,  as  in  the  last  period,  and  the  layers  of  mortar  from  1.50 
to  2  centimeters.  In  the  materials  used,  the  type  of  construction  differs  from 
that  of  the  time  of  Nero.  The  bricks  are  of  the  same  type,  many  of  them 
possibly  left  over  from  the  earlier  buildings.  The  mortar,  however,  is  unlike 
that  of  the  preceding  period,  showing  a  large  proportion  of  red  pozzolana. 
The  concrete,  especially  that  used  in  the  foundations  of  the  walls,  is  marked 
also  by  the  large  quantities  of  rare  marbles  which  have  been  used  as  filling.2 

1  This  shelf,  which  is  formed  by  the  change  in  the  width  of  the  wall,  at  a  little  distance  above  the 

foundations,  from  89  to  75  centimeters,  is  characteristic  of  this  group  of  rooms. 

2  This  is  best  seen  in  the  foundations  of  the  column  wall  on  the  west  and  of  the  wall  opposite. 


PLATE  VI 


E.  B 


Fig.  2.  Walls  of  the  Third  and  Fourth  Periods. 


1900. 


V. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  THIRD  PERIOD. 


There  is  no  evidence  that  any  further  calamity  befell  the  Atrium  until  the 
time  of  Commodus.  At  two  different  periods  before  that  time,  however, 
important  changes  took  place  in  the  building.  The  first  of  these,  which 
represents  the  third  stage  in  its  growth,1  consisted  in  the  addition  by  Hadrian 
of  the  group  of  rooms  on  the  east,2  the  center  of  which  is  the  large  hall,  or 
exedra ,  and  of  a  smaller  group  on  the  south.3  These  two  groups  will  be 
discussed  separately. 


The  Rooms  on  the  East:  The  group  of  rooms  on  the  east,  which  was 
held  by  Auer4  to  be  the  oldest  part  of  the  imperial  Atrium,  was  located 
at  the  rear  of  the  garden  and  united  to  the  earlier  structure  by  the  outer 
walls  only.5 *  The  space  occupied  by  it  was  at  least  42  meters  long  and  16  + 
meters  wide.  The  new  building  extended  on  the  north  only  to  the  line  of 
shops  belonging  to  the  first  period.®  The  destruction  of  these  shops  and  the 
inclusion  of  the  space  occupied  by  them  in  the  Atrium  took  place  at  a  later 
time.7  On  the  south  the  new  building  extended  to  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  Nova  Via.8 *  The  rooms  extended  on  the  east  to  the  street  in  the  rear 
of  the  Atrium,®  the  shops  opening  upon  which  were  in  consequence  almost 
wholly  destroyed.10  The  orientation  of  the  new  rooms  conforms  in  general 
to  that  of  the  earlier  building,  but  their  level  differs  greatly,  being  a  meter 
higher  than  that  of  the  rooms  on  the  west,  that  is  to  say,  two  meters  above 
the  republican  level.  Since  the  height  of  the  hypocaust  openings,  which  are 
still  to  be  seen  in  the  smaller  courts11  on  the  north  and  south,  is  but  10  centi¬ 
meters  less  than  this,  the  original  level  of  the  rooms  can  not  have  been  lower 
than  it  is  at  present.  This  noticeable  difference  in  level  between  the  newer 
and  the  older  parts  of  the  building  was  due  to  the  natural  rise  in  the  ground 
towards  the  east  and  south.  The  garden,  at  least  the  eastern  end  of  it,  agreed 
in  level  with  the  new  rooms  which  adjoined  it.  This  is  evident  from  the 


1  See  p.  6. 

2  Plan  C,  29-39. 

3  Plan  C,  13  a-d,  and  plate  vi,  fig.  i. 

*  Auer,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  20. 

6  There  may  have  been  a  row  of  rooms  along  the 

south  side  of  the  garden,  but  no  traces  of 

them  remain. 

"  The  point  at  which  the  new  front  wall  was 

attached  to  the  rear  wall  of  the  shops  may 

still  be  determined  from  changes  in  the 

masonry. 


7  The  wails  at  this  comer  of  the  Atrium  are  of  the 

next  period. 

8  The  rooms  on  the  south  of  the  court  at  a  higher 

level  are  of  a  later  period. 

8  Walls  1.20  to  1.30  meters  in  thickness  were  built 
behind  the  new  rooms,  to  resist  the  pressure 
of  the  earth  by  which  the  street  had  been 
raised  to  the  higher  level. 

10The  wails  between  the  shops  were  in  no  case 
wholly  destroyed. 

“Plan  C,  31  and  39. 


29 


30 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST.*. 


height  of  the  concrete  foundations  of  the  new  court  on  the  north,  which 
projected  60  centimeters  beyond  the  front  wall.1  These  foundations,  which 
are  but  a  few  centimeters  lower  than  the  pavement  of  the  new  rooms,  must 
have  been,  at  the  time  they  were  built,  below  the  level  of  the  garden  and 
concealed  by  it.2  Moreover,  in  front  of  the  exedra  traces  remain  of  a  sewer, 
the  top  of  which  is  but  a  little  lower  than  the  pavement  of  the  rooms  under 
which  it  ran.  This  sewer,  traces  of  which  may  still  be  seen  on  the  right  of 
the  steps  leading  to  the  exedra,  must  also  have  been  originally  below  the 
level  of  the  garden.  It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  the  garden  was  either  raised 
consistently  to  the  level  of  the  new  rooms  or,  as  seems  more  probable,  made 
to  slope  gradually  up  to  them.  The  walls  of  the  new  building,  with  a  few 
exceptions,  are  still  standing  to  a  considerable  height,  though  they  have 
suffered  much  from  restoration  in  the  next  period.3 


Arrangement  and  Description  of  the  Rooms:  Since  the  time  of  Auer4  these 
rooms  have  been  generally  recognized5  as  belonging  to  one  period  and  as 
forming  a  distinct  group  by  themselves.6  That  this  conclusion  is  correct 
is  very  evident  from  their  harmony  in  architectural  plan  and  their  uniformity 
in  methods  of  construction.7  The  concrete  foundations  are,  moreover, 
continuous  in  structure,  as  are  the  walls  themselves,  except  at  one  point. 
The  level  of  the  floors  also  is  the  same  throughout,  though  the  foundations 
of  the  court  on  the  north  are  75  centimeters  higher  than  the  rest.8 

The  plan  of  the  new  group  of  rooms  is  simple.  The  center  of  the  group 
is  a  large  hall,9  out  of  which  open  three  smaller  rooms10  on  either  side.  Be¬ 
yond  these  rooms,  and  connected  with  them  by  large  windows,  there  are 
two  smaller  halls,11  or  courts,  which,  like  the  central  hall,  opened  directly 
upon  the  garden.  At  the  northern  end  of  the  group  were  two  small  rooms,12 
the  entrance  to  which  was  from  the  adjoining  court.  The  new  group  of 
rooms,  when  viewed  in  its  relation  to  the  plan  of  the  Atrium  as  a  whole,13  is 
marked  by  a  slight  irregularity  in  position.  This  irregularity,  however, 
which  consists  in  the  location  of  the  central  hall  almost  3  meters  to  the 
south  of  the  main  axis  of  the  court  on  the  west,  was  not  so  apparent  at  the 


1  When  the  level  of  the  east  end  of  the  central 

court  and  of  the  adjoining  rooms  on  the 
north  was  lowered,  these  foundations  were 
chiseled  off,  except  where  a  later  wall  had 
been  built  on  top  of  them.  See  p.  43,  and 
plate  vi,  fig.  2. 

2  Also  the  foundations  of  the  walls  along  the  sides 

of  the  later  court  projected  originally  beyond 
the  walls. 

3  The  brickwork  of  the  two  periods  differs  but 

slightly.  It  is,  therefore,  at  times  scarcely 
distinguishable. 

4  Auer,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  9. 

6  Cf.  Richter,  l.  c.  90;  Huelsen-Carter,  Roman 

Forum,  206  and  213. 


8  The  exact  limits  of  the  group  on  the  north  and 
south  have  not  been  recognized  by  previous 
writers.  Cf.  Richter,  l.c.,  90.  Huelsen- 
Carter,  Roman  Forum,  206  and  213. 

7  This  is  especially  marked  in  the  almost  unbroken 

lines  of  bonding-courses  throughout  the 
whole  structure. 

8  The  reason  of  this  change  is  not  clear.  It  was 

due,  probably,  to  local  conditions,  which 
are  no  longer  apparent. 

9  Plan  C,  35. 

10Plan  C,  32-34,  36-38. 
nPlan  C,  31  and  39. 

12Plan  C,  29-30. 

13Plan  C. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  THIRD  PERIOD. 


31 


time  of  the  erection  of  the  new  rooms  as  later,1  since  the  Atrium  was  then 
divided  into  two  distinct  parts.  The  approach  to  the  new  rooms  was  through 
the  garden  upon  which  the  central  exedra  and  the  smaller  courts  opened 
directly. 

The  large  hall,  the  center  of  the  new  group  of  rooms,  which  has  been 
called  the  tablmum,  though  resembling  more  nearly  an  exedra,  is  8.97 
meters  wide  and  about  12  meters  long.2  In  the  center  of  the  ceiling  of  this 
hall,  which  is  covered  at  both  ends  by  barrel  vaults,  was  a  large  opening, 
for  which  there  was  probably  substituted  in  the  next  period  a  shaft  for  the 
lighting  of  the  upper  rooms.  The  length  of  the  rooms  on  the  north  of  this 
hall  was  3.55  and  of  those  on  the  south  3.60  meters.  The  width3  was  the 
same  in  the  corresponding  rooms  on  the  two  sides.  The  doors  were  originally 
1.62  meters  wide  and  2.60  meters  high.  Their  height  has  been,  however, 
somewhat  lessened  by  the  raising  of  the  floors,  both  of  the  exedra  and  of  the 
rooms  themselves.  The  windows,  which  open  upon  the  smaller  courts,  were 
all,  it  is  probable,  1.75  meters  wide  and  2.45  meters  high,  although  several  of 
them  have  been  altered  in  later  restorations.  The  smaller  courts  were  con¬ 
nected  with  the  central  part  of  the  new  group  only  by  the  windows  into  the 
small  rooms.  Of  these  courts  that  on  the  north  is  12.06  meters  long  and 
8.60  meters  wide,  while  that  on  the  south  was  smaller,  being  but  11.80 
meters  long  and  6.64  meters  wide.  The  walls  of  the  court  on  the  south 
have  suffered  much  from  later  restoration,  especially  on  the  south  and  west, 
where  they  have  been  rebuilt  from  the  level  of  the  later  pavement.  The  two 
smaller  rooms4  beyond  the  court  on  the  north,  the  inner  one  of  which  occu¬ 
pied  the  site  of  the  ancient  altar,5  were  but  4.1 1  meters  long  and  5.56  meters 
wide. 

The  purpose  of  this  group  of  rooms  is  not  clear.  Their  remoteness  from 
the  temple  makes  any  connection  with  its  rites  improbable.  On  account 
of  the  number  of  the  smaller  rooms6  adjoining  the  exedra,  they  have  been  held 
to  be  the  drawing-room  and  sleeping-rooms  of  the  Vestals.  Although  the 
number,  which  corresponds  to  the  number  of  the  priestesses,  can  scarcely 
be  accidental,  the  isolation  of  the  rooms  from  the  rest  of  the  Atrium  with  the 
consequent  removal  of  the  Vestals  from  the  protection  and  assistance  of 
their  attendants,  renders  them  unsuitable  for  such  a  purpose.  They  may 
very  well  have  been,  however,  the  private  offices  of  the  priestesses  and  the 
depository  for  their  records  and  insignia  of  office.  The  smaller  courts  may 
have  been  reception-halls  or  triclinia,  such  as  are  often  found  adjoining  the 
garden  in  Pompeian  houses. 


1  See  plan  E.  The  destruction  of  the  division  wall 

between  the  two  parts  of  the  Atrium  first 
made  the  lack  of  symmetry  conspicuous. 

2  The  length  on  the  north  side  is  12.7  meters,  but 

on  the  south  side  13  centimeters  less.  Such 

irregularities  are  not  uncommon. 


3  The  width  is  4.26,  3.99,  and  4.08  meters. 

4  Plan  C,  29-30. 

6  See  p.  19.  In  the  wall  behind  the  altar  was  built 
a  small  niche,  of  which  mention  has  been 
made  above  (p.  19,  n.  1.) 

6  Plan  C,  32-34,  36-38. 


32 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTAE. 


Architectural  Details:  The  original  height  of  the  rooms  of  this  group 
can  not  be  determined,  since  the  period  of  the  upper  part  of  the  walls  is 
uncertain.  The  height  of  the  exedra  is  at  present  n  meters,  while  that  of 
the  rooms  adjoining  is  but  a  little  less.  The  court  on  the  south,  the  upper 
part  of  which  is  wholly  rebuilt,  is  8  meters  high.  The  walls  of  the  court  on 
the  north  are  too  much  destroyed  to  allow  of  the  possibility  of  any  decision 
concerning  them.  There  are  no  traces  in  any  of  the  rooms  of  the  original 
pavements.1  They  were  possibly  of  opus  sectile  of  the  same  type  as  those 
still  preserved  in  the  rooms2  of  the  same  period  on  the  south.  For  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  building,  a  system  of  permanent  hypocausts3  was 
constructed.  Arched  openings4  75  centimeters  wide  and  70  centimeters  high 
were  placed  beneath  the  windows  of  the  small  rooms,  through  which  these 
hypocausts  were  supplied  with  fuel.  In  the  rooms  on  the  south  of  the  exedra 
an  upper  floor,  supported  by  amphorae  cut  in  halves,  was  added  at  a  later 
time  as  a  protection  against  the  dampness.  The  original  decoration  has  in 
no  case  been  preserved.  The  marble  posts  and  wall-facings  in  the  exedra 
belong  to  a  much  later  period.  No  traces  of  an  upper  story  or  of  a  stairway 
leading  to  one  are  left.  The  existence  of  an  upper  story  over  the  central 
rooms  is,  however,  suggested  by  the  thickness  of  the  walls. 

The  Rooms  on  the  South:  The  group  of  rooms  on  the  south5 *  is  much 
smaller  than  that  just  described,  filling  merely  the  space  occupied  in  the 
earlier  periods  by  the  tablinum .8  In  orientation  and  level  the  rooms  in 
general  conformed  to  those  immediately  adjoining  them.  The  walls  are  in 
large  part  preserved  for  several  meters  above  the  ground. 


Arrangement  and  Description  of  the  Rooms:  The  independence  of  this 
group  of  rooms  is  clear  from  the  lack  of  any  structural  connection  between 
them  and  the  rooms  on  either  side  and  from  their  dissimilarity  in  type  of 
construction.  In  the  walls  between  which  the  rooms  have  been  inserted, 
moreover,  doors7  have  been  cut  into  the  adjoining  rooms  for  the  admission 
of  light  and  air  and  to  afford  greater  ease  in  communication  between  the 
various  parts  of  the  building.  These  doors  would  certainly  have  been  built 
and  not  cut,  had  the  rooms  under  discussion  been  erected  at  the  same  time 
as  those  adjoining  them  or  earlier.  They  must,  therefore,  have  been  built 
at  another  and  a  later  period.  That  they  form  not  only  an  independent 


1  The  pavement  of  large  slabs  of  fine  marble  which 

still  remains  in  the  exedra  is  much  later. 

2  Plan  C,  1 3  c  and  d.  The  pavement  in  room  1 1  was 

inserted,  probably,  at  this  time. 

3  The  hypocausts  of  the  Atrium  do  not  form  a 

single  system  supplied  with  heat  from  a 

common  source,  but  were  arranged  in  small 

groups,  which  were  heated  by  fires  placed 
directly  underneath  the  upper  floor.  These 

fires  were  supplied  with  fuel  through  openings 

in  the  rear  of  the  various  rooms. 


4  The  most  of  these  openings  have  been  filled  in  at 
a  later  time;  one  of  them,  however,  in  the 
north  court  still  remains  open. 

6  Plan  C,  13  a-d. 

6  Cf.  plan  B,  13  and  plan  C,  13  a-d. 

7  The  doors  have  been  cut  down  to  the  level  of  this 

period,  as  is  shown  by  the  traces  of  stucco 
on  the  lower  part  of  the  posts.  This  would 
not  have  been  done,  had  the  doors  belonged 
to  the  next  period,  in  which  the  level  was 
raised. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  THIRD  PERIOD. 


33 


group  but  a  single  structure  is  evident  from  their  harmony  in  plan  and 
their  structural  unity.  Their  striking  agreement,  in  methods  of  construction 
and  in  the  materials  used,  with  the  rooms  on  the  east  leaves  no  doubt  as  to 
the  connection  between  the  two  groups. 

The  group  is  modeled  after  the  earlier  groups  of  rooms  on  the  north  and 
west,1  not  only  in  its  general  plan  but  also  in  many  structural  details,  such 
as  the  width  of  the  doors  and  the  size  of  the  small  brick  pillars,  which  become 
later  so  conspicuous  a  feature  of  the  whole  building.  The  group  consists  of 
three  rooms  connected  by  doors  and  opening  upon  a  narrow  corridor.2  By 
connecting  the  newer  rooms  with  the  older  ones  on  either  side,  the  whole 
south  side  of  the  Atrium  was  closely  united.  The  corridor  is  connected 
with  the  larger  one  outside  by  a  door  i.yy  meters  wide  and  by  two  lofty 
windows.  The  door  in  the  rear  of  the  room  toward  the  west  may  have  been 
cut  through  at  this  time,  though  the  reason  for  it  is  not  apparent.  The  wall 
in  the  rear  of  the  room  into  which  this  door  opens,  in  which  are  the  niches 
for  the  statues  of  the  household  gods,  can  not  have  been  built  later  than  this 
period,3  since  in  the  next  period  it  was  cut  off  from  the  room  by  a  second  wall. 


Architectural  Details:  The  height  of  the  rooms  is  not  known,  but  that 
they  were  lofty  is  suggested  by  the  height  of  the  walls  still  standing.  In  one 
of  the  rooms,4  under  a  hypocaust  of  the  next  period,  is  a  fine  pavement  of 
opus  sectile ,5  made  of  giallo  antico,  rosso  antico,  Porta-Santa,  pavonazzetto, 
and  other  fine  marbles.  In  the  corridor  are  a  few  pieces  of  a  similar  pave¬ 
ment.  Of  the  original  wall  decoration  nothing  remains,  unless  it  be  a  dainty 
bit  of  fresco6  on  the  side  of  one  of  the  doors.  Though  no  stairs  are  left,  it  is 
probable  that  a  second  story  existed  over  these  rooms,  as  well  as  over  those 
adjoining.  The  rooms  were  probably,  from  their  position,  small  reception 
or  guest  rooms. 


Construction  and  Materials:  The  construction  of  the  walls  of  the  groups 
both  on  the  east  and  on  the  south  is  of  the  distinctive  type  which  may  be 
recognized  everywhere  as  that  of  Hadrian.7  In  the  construction  of  the  east 
rooms  the  use  of  a  barrel-vault  supported  by  similar  smaller  vaults  on  either 
side  has  been  rightly  noted  by  Auer.8  His  assumption9  that  this  method  of 
construction  is  peculiar  to  the  period  following  the  fire  of  Nero  is,  however, 
unwarranted.  In  both  groups  the  bonding-courses  appear  regularly  and 
are  from  twenty-one  to  twenty-eight  courses  apart.  They  are  made  from 


1  Plan  C,  2-7;  21-23. 

2  The  rooms  are  4.80  meters  long  and  5.58,  5.60, 

3.10  meters  wide.  The  corridor  is  3.46 
meters  wide. 

3  The  construction  of  the  wall  is  peculiar.  The 

exact  period  of  its  erection  is  at  present 

difficult  to  determine. 

*  Plan  C,  13  c. 

3  See  p.  40. 

s  See  Boni,  Not.  d.  Scavi,  1899,  326L 


2  The  use  of  opus  reticulatum  inclosed  between 
bands  of  brickwork,  which  is  held  to  be 
the  mark  of  Hadrian’s  construction,  is  not 
a  certain  test.  The  type  of  construction 
is,  however,  certain.  In  this  point  the 
new  rooms  arc  perfectly  in  agreement  with 
the  Pantheon,  the  Mausoleum,  and  the 
other  more  important  buildings  of  the  period. 

8  Auer,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  6. 

9  Auer,  Der  Tempel  der  Vesta,  20. 


34 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST,®. 


tegula  bipedales  of  the  yellow  type  so  common  in  floors  of  the  period.  The 
courses  of  brick  measure  from  3.30  to  3.70  centimeters  and  the  layers  of 
mortar  from  1.50  to  1.75  centimeters.  The  bricks,  which  are  in  part  made 
from  roof-tiles,  are  magenta-red  in  color  and  of  a  finer  texture  than  those  of 
the  preceding  periods.  While  the  quality  is  in  general  good,  the  bricks  have 
not  been  properly  burned.  The  mortar  is  finer  than  in  the  last  period.  The 
concrete  foundations  are  noticeable  from  the  almost  exclusive  use  of  selce 
as  filling. 


VI. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FOURTH  PERIOD. 


The  last  of  the  important  changes  in  the  Atrium,  by  which  the  building, 
apart  from  the  court,  attained  its  final  form,  took  place  under  the  successors 
of  Hadrian,  the  Antonines.  This  change,  which  represents  the  fourth  stage1 
in  the  development  of  the  building,  consisted  in  the  filling  in  of  the  spaces2 
which  had  been  left  on  either  side  of  the  garden  by  groups  of  rooms3  opening 
upon  narrow  corridors,4  above  which,  as  well  as  above  the  rooms  of  the  last 
period,  were  added  a  second  and  a  third  story.5 6 

General  Description:  The  earlier  part  of  the  building  on  the  west  was 
not  changed.  At  the  eastern  end  the  Atrium  was  increased  in  extent  by  the 
inclusion  of  the  space  which  had  been  occupied  by  the  last  five  shops  on  the 
north.  On  the  south  the  outer  wall  of  the  upper  stories  was  pushed  back 
beyond  that  of  the  lower  rooms,  increasing  the  extent  of  the  building  in  that 
direction  from  3  to  6  meters.  The  level  of  the  new  groups  of  rooms8  on  the 
north  and  the  south  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  group  on  the  east.  The 
two  corridors,  however,  through  which  these  groups  were  entered,  as  well  as 
the  first  of  the  rooms  on  the  north,  were  90+  centimeters  lower,  agreeing  in 
level  with  the  court.7  The  older  rooms  on  the  south  were  raised  by  the 
insertion  of  hypocausts,  though  the  room  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  court, 
through  which  the  others  were  entered,  retained  its  original  level.8  The 
general  level  of  the  second  story  above  that  of  the  central  court  is  9  meters. 
Too  little  of  the  third  story  remains  to  make  any  decision  concerning  its  level 
possible.  The  walls  of  the  new  building  are  for  the  most  part  well  preserved, 
especially  on  the  southeast,  where  they  are  still  standing  as  high  as  the 
third  story.® 


Arrangement  and  Description  of  the  Rooms:  The  differentiation  of  the 
walls  of  the  new  rooms  from  those  of  the  earlier  periods  is,  except  in  a  few 


1  See  p.  7. 

s  See  plan  C. 

3  Plan  D,  9-12;  32-35. 

4  L.  c.,  8  and  31. 

5  Plan  F,  a  and  b.  Behind  the  court  on  the  south 

is  a  series  of  low  rooms  (plan  D,  24-30) 
forming  a  mezzanine.  If  these  rooms  be 
included,  the  Atrium  was  at  least  four 
stories  high.  The  stairs  leading  to  the 
fourth  story  remain,  though  the  rooms 
themselves  have  been  destroyed. 

6  The  level  of  the  garden  remained  unchanged. 


7  This  is  evident  in  the  corridor  and  in  the  room 

on  the  north  from  the  level  of  the  hypo¬ 
causts.  In  the  corresponding  corridor  on 
the  south,  the  stairs,  which  belong  to  this 
period,  ascend  from  the  level  of  the  central 
court. 

8  Near  the  bottom  of  one  of  the  door-posts,  which 

was  restored  at  this  time,  there  are  remains 
of  the  painted  stucco  with  which  the  walls 
of  the  room  were  decorated.  See  plate  x, 
fig.  2,  for  late  level. 

•  The  mezzanine  is  here  included. 


35 


36 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST2E. 


cases,1  made  easy  by  their  dissimilarity  in  methods  of  construction  as  well 
as  by  their  structural  independence.  This  structural  independence  is 
especially  noticeable  at  the  points  of  juncture  of  the  new  walls  with  the 
front  wall  of  the  rooms  on  the  east.  On  the  north,  where  the  concrete 
foundations  of  the  small  court  project  60  centimeters  beyond  the  face  of 
this  wall,  the  later  wall  has  been  built  against  and  on  top  of  them.2  In  a 
similar  manner  on  the  south  a  shelf,  which  extended  along  the  front  of 
the  earlier  rooms,  has  been  utilized  in  building  the  new  walls.3  The  relation 
of  the  walls  to  each  other  is  most  clearly  shown  by  the  similarity  in  archi¬ 
tectural  plan  of  the  two  groups  as  well  as  by  their  structural  unity.4 

By  the  addition  of  the  new  groups  of  rooms  on  the  north  and  south  and 
by  the  extension  of  the  front  wall  of  the  older  court  towards  the  east,  the 
two  parts  of  the  Atrium  were  united  into  one  and  the  building  assumed  a 
more  symmetrical  form.  The  earlier  independence  of  the  parts  was  still 
recognized,  however,  in  the  separation  between  the  court  and  the  garden. 
By  the  changes  just  mentioned,  as  well  as  by  the  destruction  of  the  earlier 
rooms  on  the  north  which  had  been  left  untouched  in  the  preceding  periods, 
the  eastern  end  of  the  building  was  much  altered  in  appearance  and  the 
irregularity  in  the  position  of  the  exedra  became  apparent.5 *  In  the  older 
parts  of  the  building  on  the  west,  little  change  took  place,  except  the  raising 
of  the  level  in  one  or  more  of  the  rooms,  of  which  mention  has  been  made.® 

The  new  rooms  may,  for  convenience  of  treatment,  be  divided  into  four 
groups:  (i)  the  group  of  rooms  on  the  north,7  (2)  the  group  on  the  south,8 
(3)  the  series  of  half-story  rooms  in  the  rear  of  the  court  on  the  south,9 
which  we  shall  call  the  mezzanitio,  and  (4)  the  rooms  of  the  second  story.10 

The  Group  of  Rooms  on  the  North:  The  group  of  rooms  on  the  north11 
was  modeled  in  its  general  features  on  that  adjoining  it  towards  the  west, 
with  which  it  was  united  by  the  narrow  corridor  which  connected  the  whole 
series  of  rooms  on  that  side  of  the  building.12  Although  it  has  suffered  much 
from  later  restorations,  it  is  clear  that  the  group  consisted  of  two  smaller 
and  two  larger  rooms  opening  upon  the  common  corridor.  The  corridor 
itself,  which  is  2.66  meters  wide,  was  connected  with  the  garden  outside  by 
a  door  2.66  meters  in  width  and  by  four  lofty  windows.  The  two  smaller 
rooms  are  4.90  meters  long  and  3.46  and  4.06  meters  wide.  The  two  larger 
rooms  beyond,  which  are  too  much  injured  to  be  restored  with  certainty, 
are  now  13.90  meters  long  and  4.60  and  4.76  meters  wide.  The  two  small 


1  Owing  to  the  use  of  similar  materials,  the  original 

walls  of  Hadrian  are  at  times  difficult  to 
distinguish  from  the  later  restorations. 

2  See  plate  vi,  fig.  2. 

3  At  the  southeast  corner  of  the  later  court. 

4  The  walls  form  but  one  structural  unit.  The 

two  sides  are  united  by  the  front  wall  of  the 

shops  in  the  rear  of  the  buildings  (plan  D, 


6  Plan  D.  Cf.  plan  C  and  p.  30. 

6  P.  27. 

7  Plan  D,  8-12. 

8  Plan  D,  31-35. 

9  Plan  D,  24-30. 
wpian  F  a. 

11  Plan  D,  8-12. 

I2The  new  rooms  with  the  older  ones  toward  the 
west  form  practically  a  single  group. 


Fig,  1.  The  Penus. 


Fig.  2.  The  Shrine  of  the  Penates. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FOURTH  PERIOD. 


37 


rooms1  beyond  the  north  court  were  also  lengthened  to  9.50  meters  and  were 
connected  with  the  newer  rooms  adjoining  them  on  the  west  by  a  doorway. 

The  Group  of  Rooms  on  the  South:  The  group  of  rooms  on  the  south,2 
which  resembles  in  its  general  features  that  on  the  north  corresponding  to  it, 
consisted  of  three  small  rooms3  opening  upon  a  narrow  corridor,4  at  the 
end  of  which  was  a  single  large  room.5  This  group  was  entered  from  the 
central  court  through  one  of  the  older  rooms,  the  front  part  of  which  served 
as  an  entrance  corridor  both  for  the  new  rooms  and  for  the  stairway  to  the 
upper  stories.  A  small  door  at  the  rear  of  the  garden  afforded  more  direct 
communication  with  the  rooms  at  that  end  of  the  group.6  The  three  smaller 
rooms  were  all  originally  5.95  meters  long.  Two  of  them,  however,  were  a 
little  later  shortened  by  the  insertion  of  a  thin  wall  in  the  rear,  by  which  a 
passage-way  was  formed,  along  the  front  of  which  a  number  of  openings 
were  left.  Through  these  openings  the  furnaces  of  the  various  rooms  were 
supplied  with  fuel.7  Opening  from  the  corridor  upon  the  garden  were  two 
windows  high  above  the  ground,  through  which  the  rooms  as  well  as  the 
corridor  received  their  light.  The  larger  room,  or  hall,  at  the  end  of  the 
corridor,  behind  which  ran  the  stairway  to  the  upper  stories,  also  received  its 
light  from  the  garden  outside  through  a  lofty  window.  The  older  room, 
which  adjoined  the  newer  group  towards  the  west,  was  much  diminished  in 
size  by  cutting  off  from  it  the  stairway  leading  to  the  second  floor.  The  door 
which  led  from  this  room  into  the  court  was  reduced  in  width  from  2.50  to 
1.75  meters,  while  that  which  led  into  the  adjoining  room  on  the  west  was 
completely  closed.  By  these  changes  the  newer  rooms  gained  additional 
privacy  and  all  direct  communication  with  the  rooms  toward  the  west  was 
cut  off. 

At  this  time  the  courts  at  either  end  of  the  group  of  rooms  on  the  east 
were  almost  wholly  rebuilt.  The  upper  part  of  the  court  on  the  north  is 
wholly  destroyed.  Around  the  top  of  that  on  the  south  runs  a  row  of  traver¬ 
tine  corbels  similar  to  those  seen  in  the  Pantheon,  upon  which  rested  a 
cornice.8  On  the  north  side  of  this  court  was  built  a  vaulted  cellar9  1.96 
meters  w7ide  and  1.70  meters  high,  which  was  entered  from  the  inner  corridor 
belonging  to  the  new  group  of  rooms.  At  the  rear  of  the  court  was  a  basin 
for  water10  3.75  meters  long,  1.77  meters  wide,  and  60  centimeters  deep, 
which  emptied  into  a  sewer  running  to  the  northwest.  At  the  back  and 

'Plan  D,  13-14.  6  In  the  original  plan  a  smaller  door  was  built 

2  Plan  D,  31-35.  slightly  to  the  east  of  the  present  one.  This 

3  Plan  D,  32-34.  These  rooms  are  4.56,  3.40,  and  door,  for  some  reason,  met  with  such 

4.14  meters  wide  respectively  and  5.95  disfavor  that  before  the  completion  of  the 

meters  long.  building  it  was  replaced  by  the  other. 

1  Plan  D,  31.  The  corridor  was  3.24  meters  wide  7  For  further  description  of  these  hypocausts,  see 
and  13.88  long.  pp.  40-41. 

1  Plan  D,  35.  This  room  was  8.26  meters  long  and  8  These  corbels  were  not  intended  to  support  a 

6.90  wide.  For  its  original  form,  see  plan  roof,  as  Jordan  supposed. 

A,  10.  Traces  of  its  earlier  front  wall  are  0  Plan  D,  23  a  and  plate  vii,  fig.  1. 

still  to  be  found.  10Plan  D,  23  b. 


38 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTAS. 


sides  of  this  basin  were  five  niches  for  statues,1 2  above  which  ran  the  stairs 
to  the  mezzanine?  In  the  north  court  also  there  are  remains  of  a  similar, 
though  smaller,  cellar,  which  was  entered  from  the  garden  outside  by  a 
door  cut  in  the  earlier  wall.  In  front  of  the  cellar  there  was  at  a  later  time 
a  small  corridor,  the  level  of  which  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  later  court, 
upon  which  it  opened.  From  this  corridor  the  furnace  of  the  hypocaust 
underneath  the  rooms  was  fed.  In  the  back  wall  of  this  court  were  built  three 
niches  for  statues.  At  a  later  time  others  were  added  on  the  south  side 
between  the  windows  of  the  rooms. 

The  Mezzanine:  A  half  story  above  the  south  court  were  three  low  rooms,3 
which  were  reached  by  a  stairway  built  above  the  basin  at  the  rear  of  the 
court.  Adjoining  these  rooms  towards  the  west  was  a  low,  windowless 
passage4  2.38  to  2.52  meters  wide,  upon  the  walls  of  which  rest  those  of  the 
upper  story.  At  the  eastern  end  of  the  passage  a  room5 *  2.82  meters  long  and 
3.10  meters  high  has  been  at  some  time  cut  off  from  it.  Beyond  this  room  the 
passage-way  was  at  a  very  late  period8  partially  closed,  leaving  a  furnace-like 
opening  not  more  than  1.10  meters  wide,  inside  of  which  the  fire  was  made 
for  the  heating  of  the  caldarium  and  the  rooms  connected  with  it  in  the  story 
above. 


Purpose  of  the  Rooms:  In  the  rooms  on  the  north  but  little  remains  by 
which  their  purpose  can  be  determined.  From  their  position  and  arrange¬ 
ment,  however,  it  is  probable  that  they  were  connected  more  immediately 
with  the  private  life  of  the  Vestals,  and  may  very  well  have  been  used  as 
triclinia  or  private  reception  rooms.  It  is  possible  also  that  the  rooms  for 
the  entertainment  of  the  guests  who  sought  the  protection  of  the  Vestals7 
may  have  been  in  this  part  of  the  house. 

In  one  of  the  rooms  on  the  south8  several  structures  were  discovered  in 
the  earlier  excavations,9  which  have  been  generally  recognized  as  the  foun¬ 
dations  of  ancient  stoves.  In  the  room10  adjoining  this  on  the  west  there 
were  found  also  the  remains  of  an  ancient  mill,  and  in  the  court  on  the  other 
side11  the  vaulted  cellar  and  the  basin  for  water  which  have  been  described 
above.  In  the  vaulted  cellar  were  found  at  the  same  time  many  broken 
pottery  vessels  and  three  large  dolia  sunk  in  the  earthen  floor.12  Earlier 
writers,13  failing  to  recognize  any  difference  in  the  periods  of  the  objects 


1  See  plate  vji,  fig.  2. 

2  Plan  D,  24-30. 

3  Plan  D,  24-26.  These  rooms  are  5.30  meters 

long  and  4.77,  2.97,  and  2.66  meters  wide. 

4  Plan  D,  27-30. 

6  Plan  D,  27. 

9  The  conversion  of  the  passage-way  into  a  furnace 

took  place  when  the  bath-rooms  were  added 

in  the  upper  story.  The  construction  is  of 

a  late  type,  as  is  that  of  the  bath-rooms 

themselves. 


7  The  Atrium  as  well  as  the  temple  possessed  the 

rights  of  sanctuary. 

8  Plan  D,  32. 

9  Several  of  the  structures  now  seen  have  been 

excavated  recently. 

I0Plan  D,  33. 

"Plan  D,  23. 

12For  a  picture  of  the  dolia  at  the  time  of  their 
discovery,  see  Jordan,  l.c.,  plate  xu. 
13Jordan,  Der  Tempel  dor  Vesta,  64!?.  Lanciani, 
R.  and  Excav.,  232. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FOURTH  PERIOD. 


39 


found  and  misunderstanding  their  significance,  held  that  the  rooms  had  a 
religious  purpose  and  were  designed  for  the  use  of  the  Vestals  in  the  prepar¬ 
ation  of  the  mola  salsa,  the  muries,  and  the  other  materials  for  sacrifice  and 
purification  which  were  committed  to  their  charge.  The  rooms  set  aside 
for  that  purpose  were,  however,  as  has  been  said,  at  the  other  end  of  the 
Atrium  and  were  distinct  from  it.  In  recent  times  the  rooms  have  been 
more  commonly  held1  to  be  those  of  a  private  bakery  connected  with  some 
one  of  the  many  extensive  establishments  which  found  quarters  in  the 
Atrium  after  its  abandonment  by  the  Vestals.  It  is  very  probable  that  in 
the  last  days  of  the  empire  the  rooms  served  such  a  purpose.  Since,  however, 
the  mill  and  the  greater  number2  of  the  stoves  are  of  a  very  late  period, 
any  such  assumption  concerning  their  original  use  is  unwarranted.  They 
were  instead,  at  the  time  they  were  built,  the  center  of  the  domestic  life  of 
the  household.  The  room  in  which  the  stoves  are  found  was  the  kitchen, 
with  which  the  court  adjoining  it  was  closely  connected.  The  exact  purpose 
of  the  room  in  which  the  mill  was  afterwards  placed  is  not  clear,  but  that  it 
also  was  very  closely  connected  with  the  kitchen  is  evident  from  the  presence 
of  a  door3  between  these  rooms.  The  vaulted  cellar  in  the  court  was,  as  is 
plain  from  its  contents,  the  penus  of  the  household.4  The  basin  near  it  was 
for  the  water  needed  for  the  ordinary  uses  of  the  household.  From  their  prox¬ 
imity  to  the  penus  and  to  the  kitchen,  one  may  safely  assume  that  the  statues 
which  occupied  the  niches  above  the  basin  were  those  of  the  Penates.  The 
court  on  the  north  was,  in  all  probability,  an  open  air  triclinium.  In  this 
court  there  was,  as  has  been  said,5  a  second  vaulted  cellar,  resembling  in 
every  way  that  in  the  other  court.  Though  the  existence  of  more  than  one 
penus  is  peculiar,  no  other  explanation  for  the  presence  of  this  cellar  seems 
possible.  It  was  changed  at  a  later  time  into  a  basin  for  water  by  the 
insertion  of  narrow  cross-walls.  The  niches  in  the  back  wall  of  the  court 
are  but  three  in  number.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  the  divinities  wor¬ 
shiped  here  were  the  Lares  with  the  statue  of  the  ruling  emperor  between 
them.6  The  purpose  of  the  large  rooms7  beyond  this  court  is  unknown, 
though  it  is  possible  that  the  inner  room  continued  to  serve  as  a  sacellum 
for  the  divinity  whose  altar  had  occupied  its  site  in  earlier  times.  The  mez¬ 
zanine?  adjoining  the  court  on  the  south8  contained  the  rooms  for  the  slaves 
of  the  household.  The  three  larger  rooms9  belonging  to  this  group,  which 
is  entered  by  a  narrow  stairway  from  the  court  below,  may  have  been 

1  Huelsen-Carter,  Roman  Forum,  212.  6  P.  38. 

2  Only  two  or  possibly  three  of  the  stoves  are  early.  6  In  the  private  cult  of  the  Lares  the  pater  familias 

1  This  door  was  blocked  up  later  by  the  mill  and  held  the  central  position.  The  emperor,  as 

by  a  structure  on  the  opposite  side.  Pontifex  Maximus,  occupied  the  same 

4  The  penus  here  described  must  not  be  confused  relation  to  the  Vestals  that  the  pater  familias 

with  the  Penus  Vestce,  which  was  in  the  did  to  the  household, 

temple  and  belonged  to  the  cult.  The  7  Plan  D,  13-14. 

Vestals  as  a  household  possessed  a  penus  8  Plan  D,  23. 

as  well  as  private  Penates.  See  plate  vu,  8  Plan  D,  24-26. 

figs.  1  and  2. 


40 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST^. 


originally  intended  for  storerooms,  or  have  formed  a  dark  passage1  like  that 
adjoining  them  towards  the  west. 


The  Shops:  At  this  period  the  street  on  the  north  was  spanned  by  arches 
resting  on  concrete  pillars,  which  were  built  against  the  travertine  posts  of 
the  first  period.2  By  the  addition  of  these  pillars  the  street  became  l.8o 
meters  narrower.  The  level  both  of  the  street  and  of  the  shops  was  raised, 
especially  towards  the  east,  where  the  street  is  2  meters  above  the  level  of 
the  republican  remains  below.3  On  the  east  a  new  wall  was  built  in  front 
of  the  earlier  shops.4 


Architectural  Details:  The  height  of  the  rooms  on  the  north  can  not  be 
determined.  The  corridor  and  rooms  on  the  south,  however,  which  were 
covered  by  vaulted  ceilings,  were  /+  meters  high.  The  archways  by  which 
the  rooms  were  connected  with  the  corridor  were  but  a  little  lower.5  Though 
the  upper  floors  of  the  hypocausts,  upon  which  the  pavements  were  laid, 
are  still  left  in  many  of  the  rooms,  the  pavements  themselves  have  almost 
wholly  disappeared.  Those  found  in  several  of  the  rooms  on  the  south  are 
of  a  later  period.  A  part  of  the  pavements  which  are  preserved  in  the  me z- 
zanmo  may  be,  however,  original.  In  the  older  room6  on  the  south  in  which 
was  built  the  stairway  leading  to  the  upper  stories,  there  is  still  preserved  a 
fine  opus  sectile  pavement,  which  is  often  assigned  to  this  period,  though  it 
belonged  more  probably  to  that  of  Hadrian.7 

In  the  room  on  the  north  adjoining  the  entrance-corridor  is  a  hypocaust 
55  centimeters  high,  which  was  built  at  the  same  time  as  the  rooms  them¬ 
selves.8  Hypocausts  of  a  similar  type  were,  it  is  probable,  built  under  the 
other  rooms,  though  at  a  higher  level.9  In  the  new  rooms  on  the  south,  also, 
hypocausts  were  built  throughout,  raising  the  level  of  the  whole  group  to 
that  of  the  group  on  the  east.  In  several  of  the  rooms  the  double  floors  of 
the  hypocausts  are  still  preserved.  In  the  corridor,  unfortunately,  they  have 
been  destroyed,  though  traces  of  them  still  remain.  In  the  room  farthest 
toward  the  east  a  second  hypocaust  has  been  placed  on  top  of  the  earlier 


1  The  door  and  windows  do  not  belong  to  the 

earliest  period,  but  were  cut  out  of  the 
wall  later. 

2  Cf.  plan  C  and  see  pp.  18-19. 

3  See  plate  vm,  fig.  I.  The  level  of  the  street  is 

shown  by  the  height  of  the  concrete  founda¬ 
tions  of  the  pillars,  which  were  added  at  this 
time. 

4  Plan  D,  m"-m" . 

6  The  archway  into  the  kitchen  (plan  D,  32)  was, 
possibly  before  the  completion  of  the  build¬ 
ing,  replaced  by  a  small  door.  Traces  of 
the  earlier  archway  are,  however,  still  to  be 
found,  though  its  width  can  not  be  deter¬ 
mined. 

6  Plan  D,  36. 


7  From  the  traces  which  remain  it  is  probable  that 

the  hypocaust  under  which  the  pavement 
was  found  is  not  later  than  this  period. 
The  pavement  itself,  therefore,  must  be 
earlier.  In  type  also  it  agrees  perfectly 
with  the  pavements  which  are  usually  as¬ 
signed  to  the  time  of  Hadrian. 

8  In  building  the  walls  of  this  room,  the  bonding- 

course  which  is  at  the  level  of  the  lower  floor 
of  the  hypocaust  has  been  so  laid  as  to  allow 
the  ttguhe  bipedales  to  project  beyond  the 
wall.  On  the  shelf,  so  formed,  has  been 
placed  the  outer  row  of  supports  for  the 
upper  floor  of  the  hypocaust. 

9  The  hypocaust  still  to  be  seen  in  one  of  these 

rooms  is  of  a  much  later  period. 


Fig.  2.  Remains  of  the  Upper  Stories, 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FOURTH  PERIOD. 


41 


one,  by  which  the  level  of  the  room  was  raised  above  that  of  the  corridor. 
In  the  wall  in  the  rear  of  the  two  smaller  rooms1  arched  openings  were 
left  below  the  level  of  the  pavement,  through  which  the  furnaces  placed 
beneath  the  upper  floor  of  the  hypocausts  were  fed.  In  the  rear  of  the 
larger  room  toward  the  west,2  and  adjoining  one  of  these  openings,  are  the 
partly  destroyed  remains  of  one  of  these  rude  furnaces.  Traces  of  others 
are  found  in  various  parts  of  the  Atrium.  Hypocausts  were  at  this  time 
inserted  also  into  the  older  rooms  on  the  south,  with  the  exception  of  two3 
which  retained  the  level  of  the  outer  corridor  on  which  they  opened  directly. 
In  connection  with  these  changes  the  doors  between  the  smaller  rooms4 
belonging  to  the  last  period  were  closed,  and  those  by  which  they  were 
connected  with  the  corridor  were  reduced  in  width.  The  older  rooms5  on 
either  side  of  this  group,  the  alee  of  the  earlier  house,  were  at  least  partially 
cut  off  from  the  court,  upon  which  they  opened  through  wide  arches.  In 
one  of  them6  a  wall  45  centimeters  thick  was  built,  in  which  is  seen  a  hypo- 
caust  opening  similar  to  those  in  the  newer  rooms  toward  the  east.  The 
shrines  of  the  household  gods,7  which  by  the  insertion  of  the  wall  had  been 
made  inaccessible  except  through  a  narrow  passage-way,  were  abandoned 
and  the  statues  of  the  gods  were  removed,  probably  to  the  court8  at  the  north¬ 
east  corner  of  the  Atrium,  in  the  back  wall  of  which  niches  were  at  this  time 
built.  In  the  passage-way  just  mentioned  was  discovered  in  1899  a  hoard 
of  coins  of  the  late  empire.9  In  the  large  room  on  the  west  of  the  court10 
hypocausts  were  inserted  or  the  earlier  ones  entirely  rebuilt,  since  the  tegulce 
bipedales,  of  which  the  floors  of  the  hypocausts  are  made,  are  almost  wholly 
of  this  period.  In  several  of  the  rooms  there  are  scanty  remains  of  frescos, 
which  may  possibly  belong  to  this  period.  It  is  more  probable,  however, 
that  they  belong  to  the  final  restoration  of  the  building  in  the  time  of  Sep- 
timius  Severus.11  Marble  also  was  used  extensively  in  many  parts  of  the 
building. 


The  Upper  Stories:  Of  the  upper  stories  of  the  Atrium,  as  a  whole,  but 
a  few  rooms  remain,  which  are  situated  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  build¬ 
ing.12  These  rooms  belong  entirely  to  the  period  under  discussion.  The 
further  extent  of  the  rooms  of  the  period  can  not  be  determined,  though  it 
is  certain  that  there  was  a  group  on  the  north  corresponding  to  that  on  the 
south.  Of  the  stairways13  leading  to  the  group  on  the  north  only  the  sup¬ 
porting  walls  are  left.  The  stairway14  on  the  south  divides  at  a  short  distance 


1  Flan  D,  33-34. 

2  Plan  D,  35. 

3  Plan  D,  36  (front  part  of  room)  and  43. 

4  Plan  D,  38-40. 

6  Plan  D,  37  and  42. 

0  Plan  D,  42. 

7  See  p.  33. 

8  The  number  of  niches  in  both  rooms  is  the  same. 


9  For  further  description  of  these  coins,  see  Not. 

d.  Scavi,  1899,  327(1. 

“Plan  D,  51. 

“Too  little  remains  to  make  any  decision  concern¬ 
ing  them  possible. 

“Plan  F  a;  see  plate  vm,  fig.  2  and  p'ate  ix,  fig.  1. 
“Plan  D,  adjoining  9  and  13. 

“Plan  D,  35-37. 


42 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTrE. 


from  the  bottom.  The  part  towards  the  west  has  been  almost  wholly 
destroyed,1  although  that  leading  to  the  rooms  on  the  southeast2  is  still 
preserved. 

The  rooms  of  the  second  story  correspond  in  general  to  those  of  the  lower 
floor  and  of  the  mezzanino.  Since,  however,  the  walls  are  somewhat  narrower 
than  those  below,  to  which  they  correspond  in  position,  the  rooms  are  a 
trifle  larger.  On  the  north  side  of  the  narrow  corridor  in  which  the  stairway 
ends  are  three  large  rooms3  looking  out  over  the  garden.  The  rooms  on  the 
south4  are  much  smaller  and  have  been  raised  to  the  level  of  those  opposite 
by  the  insertion  of  double  floors.5  At  the  end  of  the  corridor  are  three  other 
rooms®  which,  like  the  mezzanino,  are  lighted  from  the  open  court.  These 
rooms  were  connected  directly  with  the  Nova  Via  by  a  small  door.  At  the 
rear  of  the  court  a  passage-way  was  thrown  across  to  the  opposite  side,  where 
there  are  scanty  remains  of  a  stairway7  leading  to  the  third  story  and  of  one 
room,8  both  of  which  seem  to  be  of  a  later  period.  It  is  possible  that  this 
part  of  the  building  was  originally  occupied  by  a  terrace.  Behind  the  exedra 
are  the  remains  of  a  passage-way  leading  to  the  rooms  on  the  north. 

The  height  of  the  rooms  is  about  5  meters.  The  pavements  which  remain 
belong  probably  to  a  later  period,  since  there  are  traces  of  others  at  a  lower 
level.  Beneath  all  the  rooms,  except  the  three  next  to  the  garden,  are  hypo- 
causts  of  a  later  period.  It  is  probable  that  the  double  floors  of  the  original 
building  were  the  same  height,  since  the  level  of  the  rooms  would  otherwise 
have  been  below  the  level  of  the  corridor.  The  group  of  rooms  was  probably 
that  in  which  were  the  private  apartments  of  the  Vestals.  The  smaller  rooms 
may  have  been  used  for  baths  as  was  the  case  later. 


Construction  and  Materials:  The  walls  of  the  new  rooms  agree  in  con¬ 
struction  with  those  elsewhere  recognized  as  of  the  period  of  the  Antonines. 
The  walls  of  the  lower  story  are  89  or  75  centimeters  thick,  while  those  of 
the  upper  stories  are  either  75  or  60  centimeters.  There  are  no  bonding- 
courses  in  any  of  the  walls.9  The  materials  used  do  not  differ  from  those 
of  the  preceding  period. 


1  The  supporting  wall  has,  however,  been  pre¬ 

served  and  is  identical  in  width  and  con¬ 
struction  with  that  corresponding  to  it  on 
the  other  side.  A  second  wall  exists  behind 
this  supporting  wall,  the  purpose  of  which 
is  not  clear. 

2  Plan  F  a,  2. 

3  Plan  F  a,  3-5. 

4  Plan  F  a ,  6-8. 


6  It  is  possible  that  these  were  intended,  when 
built,  for  hypocausts.  There  are  no  traces 
of  any  means  for  heating  them,  however, 
until  later. 

6  Plan  F  a,  9-11. 

7  Plan  F  b,  13  b. 

8  Plan  F  b,  13  a. 

9  This  is  the  most  striking  difference  in  construction 

between  this  and  the  preceding  period. 


VII. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FIFTH  PERIOD. 

In  the  time  of  Commodus  the  Atrium  was  once  more  partly  destroyed  by 
fire.  The  restoration  following  this  partial  destruction  marks  the  last  stage 
in  the  development  of  the  building.1  In  this  restoration  the  rooms  on  the 
west  and  northwest,2  which  had  suffered  most  severely,  were  rebuilt,  and  the 
central  court,  which  had  remained  unchanged  during  the  previous  periods, 
assumed  its  present  form. 

General  Description:  Since  the  fire  and  the  reconstruction  following  it 
affected  only  the  upper  portion  of  the  walls,  there  was  no  change  in  the  extent 
of  the  Atrium.  Several  important  changes  took  place,  however,  in  its  level. 
In  consequence  of  the  extension  of  the  colonnade,  the  level  of  the  garden  was 
lowered  to  that  of  the  court  on  the  west,  although  the  level  of  the  colonnade 
itself  was  at  this  time,  or  a  little  later,  raised  20  centimeters.3  Various  other 
changes  occurred  in  the  level  of  individual  rooms. 

Plan  of  the  Interior  and  Description  of  Changes:  The  determination  of 
the  walls  and  portions  of  walls  which  belong  to  this  period  is  rendered  easy 
by  the  distinctive  type  of  their  construction.4  The  walls  which  are  wholly  of 
the  period  are,  moreover,  clearly  distinguished  from  those  of  the  earlier 
buildings  by  their  structural  independence. 

The  general  plan  of  the  building  remained  unchanged.  Its  appearance 
was,  however,  much  altered  by  the  destruction  of  the  walls5  separating  the 
earlier  court  from  the  garden  and  by  the  extension  of  the  colonnade  to  the 
rooms  on  the  east.  By  the  extension  of  the  colonnade  the  building  was  more 
closely  bound  together  and  the  differences  in  the  height  and  the  style  of 
architecture  of  its  various  parts  concealed.  The  colonnade,  which  was 
probably  wholly  rebuilt,  consisted,  like  that  of  the  earlier  period,  of  two 
rows  of  columns,  one  above  the  other,  but  with  no  floor  corresponding  to 
the  intermediate  entablature.  The  intercolumnar  spaces  are  wider  than 
those  of  the  older  part  of  the  colonnade  towards  the  west.6  The  increase  in 
width,  however,  is  not  regular7  and  arose  from  the  necessity  of  distributing 
the  six  columns  on  either  side  of  the  newer  part  of  the  colonnade  over  a  space 

1  See  p.  8.  8  Schulze  (Jordan,  l.c.,  37)  held  this  increase  to 

2  Plan  E,  48-56^,  1  a-’j.  be  an  architectural  refinement  due  to  regard 

3  The  new  level  was  that  of  the  coarse  black  and  for  perspective.  Cf.  p.  23. 

white  mosaic,  of  which  considerable  remains  7  The  intercolumnar  spaces  on  the  west  do  not 
are  found.  exceed  3.43  meters.  Those  toward  the  east 

4  For  this  type  of  construction,  see  plate  11,  fig.  2.  are  3.93,  3.63,  3.63,  3.63,  3.73  meters  re- 

6  See  plate  iv,  fig.  1.  spectively. 


43 


44 


THE  ATRIUM  VESTiE. 


determined  by  the  limits  of  the  earlier  building.  The  octagonal  structure,1 
the  remains  of  which  may  still  be  seen  in  the  center  of  the  court,  was  prob¬ 
ably  built  to  conceal  this  irregularity.  The  columns  of  the  lower  story  of 
the  new  colonnade  were  of  cipollino,  50  centimeters  in  diameter  and  not  over 
3  meters  in  height.  Those  of  the  upper  story  were  of  breccia  corallina,  40 
centimeters  in  diameter  and  2.93  meters  high.2  In  connection  with  the  ex¬ 
tension  of  the  colonnade,  the  large  basin,3  which  was  no  longer  in  the  middle 
of  the  court,  was  destroyed  and  its  place  taken  by  two  smaller  ones4  at  the 
ends  of  the  building.  At  this  time  or  a  little  later5  was  built,  over  the  older 
basin,  the  octagonal  structure  mentioned  above.  The  exact  character  of  this 
structure  is  uncertain  but  it  was  probably  an  open  summer-house,  or  pavilion, 
designed  to  conceal  the  irregularity  in  the  colonnade  and  to  afford  more 
privacy  to  the  rooms  set  apart  for  the  daily  life  of  the  household. 

No  change  took  place  in  the  size  or  arrangement  of  the  rooms  of  the 
Atrium  proper.  At  a  somewhat  earlier  period  the  large  room6  on  the  north 
next  to  the  temple  precinct  had  been  divided  into  three  smaller  rooms  open¬ 
ing  directly  upon  the  area  in  front  of  the  temple.  At  this  time  a  similar 
change  was  made  in  the  room7  on  the  south  of  the  area.  In  the  room8  adjoin¬ 
ing  that  in  which  stood  the  basin  for  the  washing  of  the  sacred  utensils  was 
built  a  platform  2.15  to  2.84  meters  wide  and  1.08  meters  high,  the  purpose 
of  which  is  not  clear.  It  may  have  been  connected,  however,  with  a  tem¬ 
porary  stairway  thrown  across  to  rooms  which  no  longer  exist.  Beside  it 
a  narrow  stairway  was  built  opening  directly  upon  the  ramp  leading  to  the 
Palatine.  By  this  stairway  an  easier  means  of  communication  was  provided 
with  the  fountain  of  Juturna,  from  which  water  was  probably  brought  for 
the  uses  of  the  cult.  Underneath  the  platform  are  the  so-called  ovens,  which 
resemble  in  form  the  modern  Dutch  ovens.  They  were  intended  for  the 
storing  away  of  articles  used  in  the  sacred  rites  or  for  the  ashes  of  the  focus, 
which  probably  stood  near.9  That  they  were  not  ovens  is  clear  from  their 
form  and  construction10  as  well  as  from  the  absence  of  any  opening  for  the 
escape  of  the  smoke  or  the  creation  of  a  draught.  There  are,  moreover,  no 
traces  of  the  presence  of  fire  inside  of  them. 

The  Nova  Via  was  at  this  time  spanned  by  arches  4+  meters  high  sup¬ 
ported  by  pillars  1.47  meters  square,  which  formed  an  arcade  extending 


1  Plan  E,  o.  The  top  of  this  basin  has  been 

restored. 

2  Several  columns  of  breccia  corallina  are  still  pre¬ 

served.  Only  fragments  Temain  of  the  ci¬ 
pollino  columns,  which  resisted  less  well  the 
action  of  fire.  Fragments  remain  also  of 
the  entablature  of  white  marble,  as  well  as 
a  number  of  Corinthian  capitals  of  various 
sizes. 

3  Plan  D,  O. 

4  Plan  E,  r  and  s.  These  smaller  basins,  although 

they  are  of  the  same  period,  are  not  of  the 

same  size. 


6  Bricks  bearing  stamps  of  a  later  period  have  been 

found  in  the  structure.  They  belong,  how¬ 
ever,  to  a  restoration,  since  the  construction 
in  general  is  of  the  time  of  Severus. 

0  Plan  D,  1.  Cf.  plan  E,  la-ic. 

7  Plan  D,  56.  Cf.  plan  E,  ^ba-^6c. 

8  Plan  E,  54. 

9  This  was  first  suggested  to  me  by  Professor  Mau. 
10See  plate  ix,  fig.  2.  For  the  form  and  construction 

of  ancient  ovens,  see  Mau-Kelsey,  Pompeii, 
391.  Such  places  for  the  stowing  away  of 
various  objects  are  often  seen  in  Pompeian 
houses. 


PLATE  IX. 


Fig.  1.  The  Street  east  of  the  Atrium. 


Fig.  2.  The  So-called  Ovens. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FIFTH  PERIOD. 


45 


from  the  corner  of  the  Atrium  to  the  juncture  of  the  Nova  Via  with  the  Clivus 
Sacer }  A  similar  but  smaller  arcade  was  built  along  the  narrow  street  in  the 
rear  of  the  Atrium. 

Architectural  Details  and  Construction:  The  height  of  the  rooms  can  in 
no  case  be  determined.  In  the  court  are  pavements  of  several  periods.  Of 
these  that  of  opus  spicatum  belongs  probably  to  this  period,2  though  that  of 
the  coarser  black  and  white  mosaic  is  but  a  little  later.  Many  of  the  pave¬ 
ments  of  opus  spicatum  throughout  the  house  are,  however,  of  a  later  period. 
The  pavements  of  opus  sectile  made  of  large  slabs  of  marble,  which  are  found 
in  the  court  and  in  many  of  the  rooms,  are  also  of  a  later  time.  The  remains 
of  decoration  which  are  found  in  many  parts  of  the  Atrium  belong  in  great 
part  to  this  restoration.  The  most  striking  of  these  remains  is  the  dado  of 
marble,  with  which  the  court  and  a  number  of  the  rooms3  are  decorated. 
Above  this  dado  the  walls  were  covered  with  marble  facings  or  with  frescos. 
Traces  of  both  these  styles  of  decoration  have  been  found  in  various  rooms. 

The  walls  are,  with  a  few  exceptions,  superimposed  on  those  of  the  earlier 
periods,  with  which  they  agree  generally  in  width.4  The  height  to  which 
they  have  been  left  standing  varies  from  a  few  centimeters  to  several  meters. 
The  type  of  construction  differs  greatly  from  that  of  the  earlier  walls.5  The 
tegulce  hipedales  appear,  though  less  regularly  than  in  the  walls  of  Hadrian. 
The  courses  of  brick  measure  from  2.75  to  3.25  centimeters  in  width  and  the 
layers  of  mortar  from  2.25  to  2.50  centimeters.  The  bricks  themselves  are 
well  burned  and  of  a  good  quality.  They  vary  in  color  from  yellow  to  yellow- 
red  and  are  of  a  coarse  texture,  resembling  most  nearly  those  of  the  periods 
of  Nero  and  the  Flavians. 


Later  History  of  the  Atrium:  Of  the  changes  which  took  place  in  the 
Atrium  after  the  time  of  Septimius  Severus,  two  only  are  of  importance  in 
its  development.  The  first  of  these,  which  affected  the  Sacellum  Larum 
rather  than  the  Atrium  itself,  consisted  in  the  construction  of  two  stairways, 
one  a  short  time  after  the  other,  in  one  of  the  smaller  rooms6  connected  with 
the  Sacellum  and  in  the  erection  of  a  thin  wall  in  the  rear  of  the  court,  by 
which  the  whole  group  was  separated  from  the  rooms  of  the  Atrium  adjoin¬ 
ing  it.  In  this  wall  were  placed  the  three  niches  for  statues  mentioned 
above.7  At  some  later  time  another  stairway  connecting  the  Atrium  with 
the  Nova  Via  was  added  in  the  room8  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  cen- 


1  See  plate  x,  fig.  i. 

2  The  pavement  was  laid  on  the  top  of  one  of  the 

walls  across  the  middle  of  the  court  (plate 
tv,  fig.  1),  which  were  broken  down  in  this 
period. 

3  Door  posts  as  well  as  a  dado  of  marble  are  found 

in  the  exedra.  They  may  have  been  com¬ 
monly  used  throughout  the  house. 


4  The  walls  of  the  small  rooms  on  the  west  which 
are  built  from  the  foundations  are  but  45 

centimeters  thick. 

6  For  the  construction  of  this  period  see  plate  11, 
fig.  2. 

6  Plan  E,  44. 

2  P.25. 

8  Plan  E,  43. 


46 


THE  ATRIUM  VEST2E. 


tral  court,  the  level  of  which  was  also  raised.1  Underneath  the  stairway 
a  small  shrine  was  built. 

The  other  and  more  noticeable  change  occurred  in  the  second  story, 
where  a  system  of  bath-rooms  was  inserted  in  the  rooms  of  the  earlier  build¬ 
ing.2 3 *  The  rudeness  of  the  construction  and  the  awkwardness  of  the  arrange¬ 
ment  point  to  a  period  later  than  that  of  the  Vestals.  In  the  rooms  next  to 
the  stairs  on  the  south  is  a  caldarium 3  with  a  tepidariurrd  adjoining  it.  The 
method  of  entrance  into  the  caldarium  is  not  clear,  since  the  basin  occupied 
the  space  next  to  the  door.  The  frigidarium,  if  one  existed,  was  in  the  room5 
on  the  other  side  of  the  caldarium.  In  the  walls  of  all  these  rooms  flue  tiles 
are  found,  by  which  the  heat  was  conducted  from  the  furnace  in  the  dark 
passage  below.6  In  the  first  of  the  larger  rooms  beyond7  a  smaller  caldarium 
has  been  built,  which  received  its  heat  from  a  furnace  underneath  the  basin. 
The  water,  however,  must  have  been  heated  in  some  other  manner,  since 
sufficient  heat  for  this  purpose  could  not  have  been  received  from  the  furnace 
underneath,  on  account  of  the  thickness  of  the  concrete  floor  of  the  basin. 
The  rooms  toward  the  east,8  which  also  were  heated  both  by  hypocausts 
and  by  flue  tiles  in  the  walls,  were  probably  used  for  a  tepidarium  and  for 
dressing-rooms.  Behind  this  group  of  rooms9  a  corridor  was  built,  from 
which  the  furnaces  underneath  the  rooms  were  fed.  On  the  east  of  the  court 
is  a  frigidarium 10  2.95  meters  square  and  1.15  meters  deep,  which  is  lined 
with  rare  marbles.  It  was  entered  by  steps  leading  down  directly  from  the 
passage-way  which  connected  the  rooms  on  either  side  of  the  court.  Near 
the  entrance,  1.90  meters  above  the  ground,  were  holes  through  which  the 
water  poured  into  the  basin  below  in  jets,  as  in  certain  houses  in  Pompeii. 
At  the  southeast  corner  of  the  building,  in  one  of  the  earlier  shops11  opening 
upon  the  street  in  the  rear  of  the  Atrium,  a  tank12  was  placed,  from  which  the 
various  baths  were  supplied  with  water.  In  the  adjoining  room  a  smaller 
tank  was  built,  near  which  may  have  stood  another  basin.  Throughout  the 
whole  Atrium  many  unimportant  changes  occurred,  as  the  insertion  of  hypo¬ 
causts  in  several  of  the  rooms13  on  the  north,  and  the  restoration  of  the  older 
pavements.  The  colonnade  also  was  at  some  later  time  superseded  by  a 
brick  wall  pierced  with  windows  and  the  corridor  on  the  south  was  cut  into 
small  rooms. 

Of  the  history  of  the  Atrium  in  the  centuries  following  382  A.  D.,  when 
the  building  was  abandoned  by  the  Vestals  in  consequence  of  the  decree  of 

1  See  plate  x,  fig.  2.  The  pavement  to  which 

the  modern  steps  ascend  is  of  this  late 
restoration. 

2  Plan  F  b. 

3  Plan  F  b,  7. 

*  Plan  F  b,  6. 

3  Plan  F  b ,  8. 

6  Plan  E,  28-29. 

7  Plan  F  b,  9. 

8  Plan  F  b,  10-11. 

“Plan  F  b,  9-1 1. 


,0Plan  F,  15 b.  The  frigidarium  has  been  built 
above  one  of  the  shops  opening  upon  the 
street  behind  the  Atrium,  into  which  there 
had  been  inserted  a  stairway  leading  to  the 
upper  stories  of  the  house. 

"Plan  E,  m" .  The  shop  furthest  to  the  south. 

12The  remains  of  this  tank  are  very  scanty.  It 
rested  on  a  brick-faced  concrete  vault 
similar  to  that  which  supported  the  adjoining 
frigidarium. 

13For  example,  see  plan  E,  11,  12. 


Arches  on  the  Nova  Via  of  the  Time  of  Septimius  Severus.  Fig.  2.  Stairs  of  a  Late  Period. 


r  LA  I  b  A. 


THE  IMPERIAL  ATRIUM  OF  THE  FIFTH  PERIOD. 


47 


Gratian,  our  knowledge  is  very  slight.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  it  served 
for  several  centuries  as  a  residence  for  the  officials  of  the  imperial  court,  to 
one  of  whom  doubtless  belonged  the  treasure  of  the  three  hundred  and  ninety- 
seven  coins  found  in  1899  beneath  the  pavement  of  the  corridor  on  the  south.1 
The  greater  number  of  these  coins,2  which  belong  wholly  to  the  fourth  and 
fifth  centuries,  are  of  the  emperor  Anthemius  (467-472  A.  D.).  With  the 
passing  of  time,  as  the  building  fell  into  decay,  the  poorer  classes  found 
shelter  within  its  walls  in  huts  built  among  the  heaps  of  rapidly  accumulating 
debris,  while  the  marbles  of  the  walls  and  the  statues  furnished  a  source  of 
supply  for  at  least  two  limekilns  located  in  the  building  itself.3  At  this  time 
probably  the  pedestal  dedicated  to  Coelia  Claudiana,  which  was  found  in 
1868  in  the  stadium  on  the  Palatine,  was  removed  from  the  Atrium.4  That 
the  Atrium  was  not  yet  wholly  abandoned  in  the  tenth  century  is  shown  by 
the  remains  of  a  small  house  in  the  northwest  comer  of  the  court,  beneath 
the  pavement  of  which  in  1883  a  vase  was  found  containing  over  eight  hun¬ 
dred  Anglo-Saxon  coins5  of  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries.  From  the  fibula 
found  with  these  coins,  which  bore  the  name  of  the  pope  Marinus,  it  is  clear 
that  the  owner  of  this  house  was  an  official  of  the  papal  court.  After  this 
time  the  Atrium  Vestae  was,  so  far  as  can  now  be  ascertained,  not  only  wholly 
abandoned,  but  its  site  was  forgotten  until  1883,  when  in  the  course  of 
the  excavations  it  was  once  more  brought  to  light. 

1  Plan  E,  41.  3  Lanciani,  Not.  d.  Scavi,  1883,  485. 

2  For  a  description  of  these  coins,  see  Not.  d.  Scavi,  4  This  base  has  within  a  few  years  been  restored 

1899,  jayff.  The  coins  are  now  in  the  to  its  original  place  in  the  Atrium. 

Museo  delle  Terme.  6  These  coins  are  now  in  the  Museo  delle  Terms, 


m  n 


I  L 


m 


NOVA  VIA 


1  1 


12 


J" 


i 

J  i 

% 

F 

: 

m 

I 

m ' 

m ' 

■y 

m ' 

| 

m ' 

Lj 

m ' 

AHtjcn  &  Co  Lith.  BaJ/irrwrv^Md 


%  centimeter=l  meter 


PLAN  A 


r\ 


Walls,  existing  or  traceable,  of 
the  period  of  Nero 

Walls  not  existing  above  ground 
but  practically  certain 

Walls  seen  when  excavated  but 
not  measured 


□  Probable  walls 

□  Possible  walls 


□  Walls  of  the  republican  period 


PLAN  B 


AHoen&Co.Litfi  Baltimore.. 1 fd 


centimeter=l  meter 


PLAN  C 


Walls  of  the  period  of  Hadrian 
Walls  earlier  than  the  period  of  Hadrian 
Walls  of  the  period  of  Nero 
tZWK  Walls  of  the  Flavian  period 
Probable  walls 
Republican  walls 


PLAN  D 


CZE 


□ 


— 1 

r3  f 

■j=b  [ 

i- 

18 

17 

16 

I  L 

.  .1 :  .i 

S  r 

A/fot-n  ftcCo  Litfi  fJoi/nnorr .  'A/ 


Vt  eentimeter=l  meter 


PLAN  E 


Walls  of  uncertain  date  earlier  than  the 
period  of  Septimius  Severus 
Walls  of  the  period  of  Nero 
Walls  of  the  Flavian  period 
Walls  of  the  period  of  Hadrian 
Walls  of  the  Antonine  period 
Walls  of  the  period  of  Septimius  Severus 
resting  on  earlier  walls 
Walls  later  than  the  period  of 
Septimius  Severus 


Republican  walls 


J±=23 


g  a 


13 


16 


J1 - j, 


Fa 


cl— d — Lr 


17 


::::r 


rb  m 


X  ceutimeter=l  meter 

Af/ofm&Co.  iith  Baltimore.  J4d- 


Walls  of  the  Antonine  period 
Walls  of  the  Antonine  period 
not  existing  but  certain 

] Walls  of  the  period  of  Hadrian 


S 


PLAN  F 


Vn  m 


71 1 


'/i  cen  1  i meter  \  meter 


Late  walls 

Walls  of  the  period  of  Hadrian 
Walls  of  the  Antonine  period 


A 


